Toxicity
by KaniShikamaru
Summary: Two young jonin from a powerful clan are assigned to help train Team Seven for their upcoming tournament. Who could have known that all this would happen? NarutoOC, heavy yaoi in later chapters
1. Prologue

This is just a lil' somethin' angsty about my _favorite _manga chara Uzumaki Naruto!

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto. Not me.

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     Who am I?

_     You are _nothing _but a mischievous piece of flesh…completely _useless_ as a shinobi!_

     My name is Uzumaki Naruto.

_     Dumb blond!_

     I live in Konohagakure Village, "the village hidden in the falling leaves." Alone. _Not with my parents. They died twelve years ago, fighting the demon fox soon after I was born._

_     The scroll! It was the instrument of your bondage!_

     They died _too soon. I don't remember them at __all._

_     You never knew a parent's love._

     The demon fox killed them.

_     Damn fox Naruto!_

     _I _killed them.

_     Naruto was sacrificed for the safety of us all._

     Because I _am the fox. Its spirit was bound within me after it was defeated by Lord Hokage the Fourth. Hokage died after that._

_     It was all your_ _fault, you _bastard_ Naruto! The village is _constantly _in an _uproar _because of you!_

    And it _was_ my fault. Don't lie and try to tell me otherwise.

     That's why nearly the _entire village hates and disowns me._

_     Get out, you damned _fox! _Get the hell out __and stay _the hell out!!__

     It hurts.

     So I play a lot of practical jokes on people to make me forget my loneliness.

_     Children who grow up without parents are _always _lonely._

     And I'm almost always in trouble.

_     What do you think you're doing, you idiot?! Get down from there and back to class!!!_

     Why am I always in trouble?

_     You waste your time and talent inventing these stupid tricks!_

     Because everyone stereotypes me as stupid.

_     What are you trying to prove, baka?!_

     I _am _stupid.

_     Hell, yeah._

     Hardly _anyone_ noticed when I _finally _did something right. I conjured up a thousand doppelgangers. Not just _illusions; these were as solid as the real me._

_     The rumors of your prowess don't lie!_

     But hardly anyone noticed.

_     Grow the hell up!_

     Because I've been labeled stupid.

     _Stupid…_

     Why do I do such crazy stuff? Hell…I just want someone to see how _cool _I am. Someone to respect me!

_    Oh, yeah!_

     This sounds like something that _Sakura would say, but I __really want __someone to accept me._

     To _love me._

     Is that too much to ask?

     Evidently.

     Apparently.

     _Obviously._

     _Cut it _out, _Naruto!_

     The only person who treats me with _any kind of respect is my ninjutsu teacher Master Iruka._

     _Congratulations, graduate!_

     His parents died fighting the fox, too. We have a _lot _in common.

     But, like I told Lord Hokage the Third's grandson Konohamaru, he was almost impossible to win over.

     _Our village _disgrace! _The so-called "human form" of the nine-tailed demon fox!_

     In spite of all the _shit in my life, I'm still working to be the __greatest shinobi in Konohagakure—even more respected that Hokage!_

     Even if I _am an evil demon fox._

     _Obviously.___

     But lately I've been doubting myself.

     _It was a brilliant performance, Naruto, but it was just a sham to hide your pain!_

     The fox in me is coming back.

     _Did you see the look in your protégé's eyes? Those were the eyes of the demon fox!_

     And this time I don't think I can resist it.


	2. Ryuuchi

Because of what some reviewers said (and in spite of a few others) I'm continuing Toxicity.

Why did I call it that? Because...System of a Down is (almost) as cool as Linkin Park. And Good Charlotte. You'll have to keep reading this story to find out the other reason, 'cause if I told you, it'd spoil the fic!

So go on and read this damn chapter!

Disclaimer: Remember that Naruto is not owned by me. But the Ryuuchi clan and its language, weapons, and techniques are!

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     Naruto awoke abruptly on the first day of spring. Since it was still early, he lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

     Today was the first day of practice for the Konohagakure ninjutsu tournament. Usually when big competitions came around, Naruto was bursting with energy. He would practice for _hours _each day.

     But this time he felt different.

     The young shinobi couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt terribly _wrong _about something. Like the way a rat feels before the seemingly invisible snake pounces.

     "It's just my imagination," he said aloud to reassure himself. His voice echoed in the empty house. It sounded faintly of mocking laughter.

     Naruto shivered.

     He rolled out of bed and stumbled down the hall to the kitchen.

     Maybe he was just hungry.

****

     It had been Master Iruka's idea. To give each cell another jônin, that is.

     "This is just to prepare you for the tournament even more," he had told the genin after hearing loud protests from several, namely Naruto. "These jônin have all been in previous tournaments, so they will help your training and give you more competition to practice with."

     Most of the cells got jônin who lived in Konohagakure. But Naruto's cell got twin fourteen year olds who had been in tournaments since they were eight years old. This wasn't a surprise when they discovered what clan the boys were from.

     The Ryuuchi clan. It was one that had rivaled the Uchiha clan that Sasuke belonged to for a long time. They were so large that they had their own shinobi city. Very few people wanted to be on the Ryuuchi clan's bad side.

     That clan sure could _kick ass. After all, their rapid growth was attributed to the fact that they were fierce fighters._

     And the Ryuuchi twins who were to be cell seven's new jônin were no exception.

****

     "So..." Kakashi began once he and the other shinobi were out in the woods surrounding Konohagakure. "We obviously don't know each other. Tell us your names, and we'll do the same." Everyone hesitated. "I'll start. I'm Hatake Kakashi."

     The twins exchanged a look, and the taller one nodded.

     "My name is Ryuuchi Shinzuko," he said quietly.

     Ryuuchi Shinzuko had black hair and eerie sea-green eyes that made Naruto want to hide. He wore a gray shirt with a black vest and black pants. On his forehead was the headband of the Ryuuchi clan; the sign of the red dragon.

     There was something extremely _arrogant about him that Naruto instantly hated._

_     "Ryuuchi?!"_ Sasuke broke in. Naruto stared at him. It was unlike Sasuke to speak much unless spoken to.

     Shinzuko frowned. "You got a problem with that?" he hissed. "Who are _you_, anyway?"

     "Uchiha Sasuke."

     "Hn. Uchiha." The older twin sounded mocking. "Nothing but scum," he muttered under his breath. Sasuke didn't reply, but his face darkened with anger.

     "I'm Ryuuchi Kyote," the other boy said after several moments of silence.

     Ryuuchi Kyote was obviously the younger of the twins. He wore the Ryuuchi headband in his black hair streaked with red. His clothes were what Naruto immediately labeled 'punk' for no reason at all. He was dressed in a black shirt that had weird buckles along the side and a pair of dark blue shorts that closely matched his gray-blue eyes.

     "I'm Haruno Sakura."

     "What about you?" Kyote spoke up.

     Naruto gave a slight start. He hadn't been listening.

     "I'm Uzumaki Naruto," he said quickly.

     Shinzuko snorted. _"Naruto?__ As in that little fox?" He smirked. "I'm surprised they even allowed you to become a shinobi after some of the stuff you've done!"_

     Naruto tightened his fists. "Do you want to try me, you _dork?!"_

     "Stop it, both of you!" Kakashi broke in. "We have a lot of practice to get in, and fighting _will not help."_

     The others glared at the jônin unresponsively. "What's everyone staring at?" he demanded finally. "Let's go!"

****

     "Listen," Kakashi began as he spoke to his cell alone after the training session. "I know that none of you love the Ryuuchi clan…but we're stuck with them and nothing's going to change that!"

     Sasuke crossed his arms, his gray eyes darkening like the sky before the storm.

     Naruto made a face. "The Ryuuchi _suck! What's your point, teach?"_

     Sakura grimaced. "Yeah, Shinzuko's the absolute _worst!"_ she chimed in.

     "All I know is that Iruka put Uchiha with Ryuuchi for the purpose of teaching us to work together. He knows about the feud between the two clans, and he wants you to work out your differences."

     "Sounds like peacenik crap to me," Naruto muttered.

     Kakashi frowned. "Whatever you think it sounds like, we're doing it. So don't go around starting trouble."

     "Why are you looking at me like that?" Naruto growled.

****

     In spite of what Kakashi told him, Naruto got bored at the next class, and _had_ to stir things up.

     Just before the lunch break, he slipped a vial of sour-tasting medicine into Shinzuko's water bottle. When the teenager drank it…well, a fuse wasn't needed to detonate the explosion.

     "Who the _hell put iyaku in my water!" he yelled when he had been able to catch his breath._

     Naruto instantly doubled over laughing.

     "Naruto!" hissed Sakura. "What do you think you're _doing?!"_

     Shinzuko sauntered over to Naruto and grabbed his jacket. "Yeah, _Naruto,"_ he taunted. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Do you know who you're messing with?!"

     Naruto scowled. "Well…_you didn't have to annoy us!"_

     "You know what, you little-!"

     "Shinzuko," interrupted a quiet voice. Both boys spun.

     "What is it, Kyote?"

     Ryuuchi Kyote crossed his arms. "Leave Naruto alone. It's _your fault that he put iyaku in your water."_

     Naruto smirked as Shinzuko reluctantly released him. "Heh…and I wouldn't have done it if you didn't call me a fox! Bastard!"

     Shinzuko's face was almost red with fury. He punched Naruto hard in the face.

     "Bastard!" Naruto yelled again as he backed out of the older boy's reach.

     "Shinzuko." Kyote held his brother back. "Leave him alone."

     The teenager glared hard at his younger twin for the longest time.

     "Did you hear what I said," Kyote hissed quietly.

     With a disgusted sigh, Shinzuko snatched up his lunch and stalked off.

     "Jeez…" Naruto walked over to Kyote, rubbing his sore cheek. "What's _his_ problem?"

     The black and red haired boy hunched his shoulders. "A long story." He snorted. "It was very _dumb_ of you to put that medicine in his water."

     The blond haired boy shrugged. "He asked for it. He called me a fox!"

     "I'd advise you to watch yourself around Shinzuko," Kyote warned. "He's the kind that holds grudges, so I'd avoid him if I were you."

     Naruto crossed his arms. "Well, you aren't me, and people who avoid their enemies are just plain _cowards."_

     Kyote frowned. "If you don't avoid him...at _least_ don't get in his way," he said as he walked off to eat his lunch.

     Naruto watched him go.

     _What's up with these Ryuuchi?_

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So...how was that? Boring, ne?

Be patient. The interesting stuff is coming. *crickets chirp* No, really!

Especially if you like yaoi, like I said before.

And if you don't like yaoi? STAY AWAY.


	3. First Kiss

Kani-chan: MWAHAHAHAHA.

Naruto: Hoo boy...

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     "Shinzu-san-?" Kyote swung into his older brother's room.

     The black haired teenager looked up from his homework at his desk. "Yes, Kyote?"

     "Eh…shouldn't you get some sleep? Free sparring practice is tomorrow," Kyote reminded his twin softly.

     "I don't need any sleep!" the teenager said abruptly. There was a long silence. Shinzuko threw down his pencil and got to his feet. When he spoke, his voice was dangerously low.

     "That damn fox _Naruto is the _reason _that I'm who I am," he said quietly. "If Father was still alive, I would have been on my way to being the most renowned shinobi in all of the Ryuuchi clan!"_

     Kyote clenched his fists. "It wasn't Naruto's fault that Father died! It was the demon fox's!"

     "And Naruto _is that fox."_

     Gray-blue eyes narrowed. "No, he's not!"__

     Shinzuko grabbed his younger twin by the shoulders, squeezing his strong hands until the other boy winced. "Not another word, Kyote."

     Kyote slapped his brother's hands away. He was used to the teenager's violent moods, and was well-aware that they came as a result of their father's death. The younger twin put his hands on the black haired teenager's shoulders and spoke quietly, conscious to the fact that yelling back would not calm the teenager any. "I know you're still bitter about Father, Shinzu-san, but hurting Naruto will _not _help things."

     "But this was all his fault! Because of the fox, we're now one of the poorest families in the Ryuuchi clan! At least when Father was alive, we had a chance to become great! Now, Father's dead, our stepfather doesn't admit our existence, and we're stuck tutoring a bunch of twelve year olds!" Shinzuko reminded him.

     "At least it brings in plenty of yen," Kyote said after a moment. "Maybe now you won't complain about money anymore."

     "I know, but…" The older twin lowered his head. Neither boy spoke for some time.

     "Shinzu-san…?" Kyote looked over his brother carefully. He was shaking.

_     He was crying._

     "Shinzu…gomen…" the younger boy murmured, embracing his brother lightly. "I'm sorry…"

     "I miss otosan," Shinzuko whispered. "I miss him so much."

****

     It was one week before the tournament.

     "Today," Kakashi told the others, "we're going to review free sparring; the part of the tournament for which the most points will be earned. This will also tell if you've been practicing or not." He frowned. "There are five of you so…Naruto on Sasuke, Sakura on Kyote, and Shinzuko on me. And remember, no shuriken, illusions, doppelgangers—_Naruto—_or_ any otherwise magical or physical armaments this time." The man stepped back. "Start at your own pace."_

     Naruto made a face as he confronted Sasuke. "Ready?"

     The black haired boy inclined his head. "You start."

     Naruto didn't know what happened next. Maybe the sun was in his eyes, or maybe his throwing arm was tired, or maybe…

     Half an hour later, Naruto was flat on his back. _"What the hell just happened?!" _he demanded.

     Sasuke smirked. "You're too easy…_dunce."_

     "You ass! I-"

_     "Yameru,_ Naruto," Kakashi interrupted. "And everyone, get a different partner. This time, all weapons and magic are allowed."

     The blond haired boy found himself with Kyote.

     "Starting position," the older boy reminded him as he slung his ninja-to onto his back.

     Naruto balanced his stance.

     Kyote drew back halfway and put a hand on his sword. "Begin."

     "Ha!" Naruto drew three shuriken, throwing them with a deft hand. Kyote deflected them with his sword, and came on hard and fast.

     The blond haired shinobi sprang to avoid the blade, and threw another barrage of throwing stars. This time, though, while they ricocheted off Kyote's sword, Naruto swung behind him.

     "Ne?" Kyote glanced around. The blond boy sprang at his unprotected back.

     "Here I am, Kyote!!"

     The teenager's eyes narrowed. "Heh." He brought his sword up, just enough to catch Naruto on the flat of the blade. "If I had used the blade, you would have been dead, Naruto," he reminded the boy as he let him fall to the ground.

     "Hmph!" Naruto leaped to his feet and took out another shuriken, this one a double-bladed knife. Kyote smirked as he watched the boy run towards him.

_     Is this _all _you got, Naru-chan? _With a deft hand, he struck the blade from Naruto's grasp. It went spinning and landed point-first in the trunk of a nearby tree. Kyote was on top of the boy in an instant.

     "You're down," he said simply, resting his sword against Naruto's neck. "If this had been real combat, you'd be dead. Looks like I win."

     Naruto smirked. "No, you haven't!" He kicked upward, catching Kyote in the groin. The teenager fell with a groan. Spinning around quickly, the blond haired boy grabbed the sword from limp hands and got to his feet.

     But he paused.

     And when he paused, Kyote was on him again. This time, the older boy held him in an almost painful clutch. He smirked.

     "I oughta pay you back for kicking me where you did," Kyote said almost playfully. "But I won't." Abruptly, he released the boy, and Naruto sank back, rubbing his sore arms.

****

     During lunch, Naruto crept away from the others to his favorite spot. It was clearing in the midst of a circle of pine trees on a hill overlooking Konohagakure.

     He sighed as he threw himself down on a stump directly in the circle's center. The boy took a few minutes just visually exploring the quiet place.

     The pine trees grew close together, and the only way in was to climb. When Naruto had first found the place, he had looked at it wordlessly from his perch on a nearby tree. It reminded him of a sanctuary; like the home he never had.

     Naruto found himself thinking of his parents as he unwrapped his sandwich. He suddenly realized that he wasn't hungry.

     _I wonder what they were like…_

_     Probably not like Taharka Reed's parents. _They're waaaay _too strict._

_     And not like Shamatzu Jokin. _His _parents are hardly ever home._

     A rustle in the pine needles on the ground broke off his train of thought. Glancing down, the boy was surprised to find a little auburn fox staring up at him with a pair of almost-red eyes.

     Naruto set his sandwich on the rock beside him and glared back. _Whadda__ you _want? _The little fox moved closer. The boy smiled in spite of himself._

     "Hey, little guy," he said softly.

     The fox didn't seem frightened at all by the shinobi's voice. It slipped even closer, its gaze now fixed on the sandwich. Naruto noticed it.

     "So you're hungry, ne?" The boy threw the little creature his lunch. "You take it. I'm not hungry."

     With a low yelp, the fox pounced hungrily on the sandwich, seemingly forgetting that Naruto was there.

     There was a snap in the woods as someone…or some_thing_ else approached.

     The fox lifted its head, looking in every direction. In one smooth motion, it snatched up the remains of Naruto's lunch and tore back into the forest.

     Naruto sighed under his breath. _What was that fox doing here? __And who, or what, __was that?!_

     "Uzumaki?" It was Kyote, for _sure. _"What are you doing way back…_here?"_

     The boy made a face. "Eating lunch," he muttered. "What does it _look like I'm doing? And why're you following me?"_

     Kyote leaped down nimbly from one of the taller pine trees. He stuck his hands into his pockets as he came nearer. "Didn't mean to follow you," the teenager said quietly. "I just went for a walk." The shinobi glanced up. _"Kami…"_

     "What?" Naruto followed his gaze. He also gasped at what he saw.

     The tops of the pine trees formed an open dome. The sky shone brightly through it.

     Naruto slid onto his back to see it more comfortably. Kyote slipped beside him.

     "I never really thought of looking up before," the boy admitted as several birds flew overhead.

     "Hn." The black haired shinobi clasped his hands behind his head.

     "Kyote?" Naruto asked after a moment.

     "Hai."

     The boy scowled. "How come you and Shinzuko know about me being the fox? 'Cause, you know, in Konohagakure, the kids aren't supposed to know."

     Kyote shifted positions slightly. "There's no law against telling your children among the Ryuuchi. So nearly everyone there knows."

     Naruto glanced at the teenager alongside him. "What do _they_ think of me?"

     The older shinobi adjusted his headband with one hand. "Hm…" He frowned, thinking hard. "Never really noticed that. I didn't even know that the fox's human form was still in Konohagakure until we were assigned to your cell."

     In spite of himself, Naruto had to ask one more question.

     "What do…_you think of me, Kyote?"_

     The teenager rolled onto his stomach, tipping his head to the side. "You _really _want to know, Naruto?"

     "Yeah!" The boy sat up eagerly. "Tell me!"

     In reply, Kyote's lips met Naruto's gently. Naruto froze.

     "Understand now?" the older boy asked quietly as he drew back. He noticed the troubled expression on the younger shinobi's face. "What is it, Naruto? Don't like this?"

     The blond haired boy scrambled backwards to his feet, shaking his head. "N-no."

     Kyote got to his feet. "Well, I'm not going to force anything on you," he said as he left the clearing. "See you tomorrow."

     "Tomorrow?"

     The black haired shinobi glanced back. "Yeah. We only have a half-day today. Iruka-sensei said to go home and rest. Because tomorrow, the real serious stuff begins."

     Before Naruto could reply, the Ryuuchi boy was gone.

     Vanished in the network of branches and leaves.


	4. First Sign

Kanimoto: BWAHAHAHAHA!!! I finally got over writer's block! And so here now is a long chapter!! Six pages! Wahoo!!

Naruto: No more spring break for you. Too hyper.

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     "You wanted…to see me, Lord Hokage?"

     The man turned from the view of Konohagakure below. "Yes, Kyote."

     Ryuuchi Kyote joined him at the balcony's rail on the roof. After a moment, Lord Hokage spoke.

     "I know about your feelings towards Naruto," he said.

     Kyote started. "You mean you saw-"

     "I knew before I saw it."

     _Well, I guess he _does _keep an eye on everything in Konohagakure with that crystal ball. _The teenager sighed. "I didn't mean to. He asked me what I thought of him, and…"

     "I understand what it is to be caught up in the moment, Kyote," Lord Hokage the Third interrupted quietly. "But I don't think you should have done that."

     "Why?" Kyote challenged.

     The man blew hard into his pipe. "I saw something of the future last night, and in it was the demon fox."

     The teenager's gray-blue eyes widened. "You don't mean-"

     "I do."

     Kyote watched the man closely. "So you're saying that you don't want me to get too closely attached to Naruto, because you don't want me to get my sorry ass kicked when his demon form is reawakened?" he muttered almost sarcastically.

     Lord Hokage sighed. "Not exactly in that _language, but yes." He met the teenager's eyes. "I don't want anyone else to know about this, understand? It would throw Konohagakure into a state of panic."_

     Kyote nodded. "I understand, Lord Hokage."

     _I understand, but I don't think you're right._

****

     "Master Iruka!" Loud knocks sounded on the door.

     The black haired man groaned and got up from his bed with a yawn. He had just fallen asleep after a day torn by a pounding headache. _Who could it be _now?! _Oh, wait. I think I know…_ Impatiently shaking off his lethargy, he opened the door.

     "Uzumaki Naruto! What are _you doing here this late?"_

     The boy grimaced. "Because you chose the worst possible people to be our secondary jônin!" he almost yelled.

     Iruka stepped out of the doorway, motioning the young shinobi inside. "Quiet, Naruto. Everyone else is asleep."

     Naruto could barely keep his voice down; he had so much steam that he wanted to get rid of. "Whatever the _hell made you assign the Ryuuchi twins to our group…of _all _the cells in our shinobi class?!!" he demanded angrily. "Shinzuko's a total __ass who hates me-"___

     Iruka sighed, massaging his forehead against the headache he felt returning. _"Please,_ Naruto…"

     "-and Kyote…well…he's just…_weird!!!"_

     The man frowned. "You didn't come whining to me after what Kakashi did to you, and I heard that he's pretty harsh," he reminded the boy.

     Naruto crossed his arms. "Yeah, well, _that _was different! At _least Kakashi-sensei didn't make fun of me being the reincarnation of the demon fox!"_

     "Because of the demon fox, Shinzuko lost out on a lot," Iruka said quietly. "You know that I don't hold any of that against you, and that he shouldn't. But he does…and you'll just have to live with that and work together."

     Naruto made a face. "Please…" he grumbled as he stalked out of the room.

****

     "Good morning to one and all!" Naruto declared loudly as he entered the space of the woods that Kakashi habitually used as their training space.

     "Good morning," Kakashi replied levelly. "You're late, you know."

     "So?" The boy made a face. "All those other times, _you _were late. What difference does _this _make?"

     No one replied. Sakura sighed in disgust. "Can we get _on_ with this?"

     "Today we will be reviewing elemental techniques," Kakashi told his students. "All you need to do is execute a formidable technique. Got it?"

     _Doppelgangers used to be my worst technique…but now it's the _elements! Naruto made a face as he watched the others do their techniques. _I have such a weak chakra that it'll take me years__ to learn this damn stuff!_

     "Naruto?" The blond haired boy gave a start. He got to his feet.

     _Okay…_

     "Ehh…Kakashi-sensei…?" Naruto paused. "I…haven't learned any techniques yet…" Kakashi frowned.

     "All that time we had to practice…and you _wasted _it?" The man frowned slightly. "I'm surprised, Naruto...and I see where you need more practice, " he said, his voice biting. "You need to develop your chakra to improve in every area of ninjutsu. And remember this: To enter the tournament, each individual of every cell must be able to correctly perform all areas of ninjutsu that they have been exposed to."

     "Yeah," Shinzuko chimed in harshly, his words directed at Naruto. "And if we don't qualify, it'll be _your fault."_

     Naruto made a face. _Shit._

****

     All morning, the three shinobi practiced thoroughly under the watchful eyes of their three jônin.

     After lunch, they sparred once more, this time with different opponents.

     "The art of the trained body is one of the most important ninjutsu skills," Kakashi reminded them. "Master it, and everything else will be so much easier."

     _Easier my ass! _Naruto grit his teeth as he found that Shinzuko was his opponent.

     "There's one thing I still don't understand," the blond haired boy whispered as he and the teenager circled, waiting for the other to make the first move.

     "What?" Shinzuko growled in his husky tone of voice.

     "Why do the shinobi of the Ryuuchi clan _always _carry swords?"

     Shinzuko clenched his fists, reaching for his shuriken holster. "Because our clan is one open only to the very strong…those who can defend themselves and attack when necessary. No wimps allowed."

     "Gee…then I wonder why they let _you into that clan."_

     Gritting his teeth in rage, the teenager reached out. Naruto jerked back, but the hands found him and yanked down, swinging the boy to the ground. As he stumbled to his feet, Shinzuko let loose a blinding torrent of shuriken that pinned Naruto to the trunk of the tree behind him. He drew his sword, advancing menacingly on the helpless boy.

     "Let me out," Naruto hissed. But Shinzuko was an expert marksman, and the shuriken held him fast.

     "Don't you every say that again, yaro," Shinzuko warned icily. _"Be quiet."_

     Naruto made a face. "Make me!" he challenged.

     The teenager glanced along the blade of his ninja-to. "Do you think this sword is a toy, Naruto?" he demanded icily. "And do you really _think _that I would hesitate to strike you dead _now?"_

     Naruto began to struggle frantically.

     _Shit._

     Drawing himself to his full height, Shinzuko sheathed his sword and brought his hands into a sign that Naruto didn't recognize. "Venom of the Cobra Technique!" he declared.

     Suddenly, Naruto felt truly scared, realizing that—although he'd never _heard of Venom of the Cobra—it was a technique used to _kill_._

     With a shout, the black haired teenager released the powerful attack. Naruto couldn't watch…but at the same time, he couldn't look away. Frozen in place, the boy could only stare in terrified awe as the blast of power swept closer.

_     Oh, crap…_

     A dark shape suddenly darted in the way. Naruto's eyes widened. _What the heck…?_

     "Shield of the Ox Technique!" A second attack dispersed the first with an earsplitting explosion. Naruto gasped.

     "Kyote!!"

     The black-and-red haired shinobi straightened, breathing hard from the lack of energy he had used to execute the technique. "You…you were going to…kill him, Shinzuko," he gasped.

     _Kyote seems worn out from using one technique, but Shinzuko still looks full of energy,_ Naruto noticed. _What's up with that?_

_     And _why the hell _did Kyote do this??!!!_

_     If I'm guessing right about what Venom of the Cobra is...I'd think he saved my life._

     "Yeah." Shinzuko arched an eyebrow. "So?" He suddenly became angry. _"Git out of my _way,_ Kyote," the teenager growled._

     Kyote grit his teeth. "Listen, Shinzuko," he hissed. "I _know _that you're mad at the demon fox…but that wasn't Naruto!"

     "Yes, it was!" The twins were soon locked in a fierce fight.

     Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke arrived just then. Kakashi looked Naruto over.

     "What happened?" he asked calmly.

     Naruto shrugged. "I don't know."

     Kyote finally broke free of his older twin brother's suffocating grasp. "Just a bad case of sibling rivalry," he muttered under his breath.

     Shinzuko got to his feet. "Yeah_.__ Very bad." With that, he stalked off._

     As you might have already expected, it took a while for everyone to figure out what had just happened.

****

     "Are you sure you're okay, Kyote?" Naruto demanded.

     The teenager winced as he fingered the bandage on his cheek. "I'm fine. Why are _you worried about me all of a sudden?"_

     Naruto shrugged as he glanced out the window. "I guess it's because you…er, saved my life...?" There was silence. "Why'd you do it, anyway? And why'd _he do that?"_

     "Because," Kyote replied. "Just _because."___

     The blond haired boy smacked him hard in impatience. "Ow!"

     "Tell me!" Naruto urged.

     The teenager lay back tiredly on his bed. "Nai." He lay a hand on his forehead. " You can go home now," he muttered coldly. "Leave me alone."

     Naruto scowled. "You're kissing me one day and telling me to buzz off the next? Jeez."

     Kyote smirked sheepishly. "Gomen. Didn't mean to do that."

     "Right." Naruto glanced around the place that was Kyote's room in the apartment he was sharing with Shinzuko while the two young jônin stayed in Konohagakure. The blond boy caught sight of a small picture on Kyote's dresser. Straining his eyes, he saw that it was a picture of a man.

     The man was dressed in a black shirt, black pants, gray vest, and he wore the headband that Naruto had learned to recognize as the red dragon that all Ryuuchi shinobi wore.

     The boy was about to ask who the man was, but something told him to keep his mouth shut. So he asked other questions instead.

     "That technique you used…what kind was _that?"_

     Kyote sat up with a slight laugh. "It's one of seven techniques that everyone in the Ryuuchi clan is required to learn," the teenager explained. "They are Venom of the Cobra, Shield of the Ox, Stealth of the Wolf, Deluge of the Dolphin, Wings of the Hawk, Claws of the Tiger, and Chains of the Dragon."

     Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Why seven? And how come they're all from animals?" he asked.

     "Those are the signature techniques of the seven families in our clan. I'm part of the Wolf family."

     "I thought you were part of Ryuuchi."

     Kyote nodded. "I am. But we're divided into the seven families, each with its own favored technique." He scoffed. "Shinzu-san has mastered three already, and I haven't mastered _one."_

     Naruto protested. "But you did Shield of the Ox!" he said.

     "Yeah, and I almost killed myself." The dark haired teenager crossed his arms. "Sure won't do that again. Those techniques aren't easy, you know."

     Naruto thought for a moment. "What if you taught _me _one? I need to learn a technique by the time the tournament starts."

     Kyote considered. "I could," he allowed. "Okay. Meet me in the clearing tomorrow before practice."

****

_     Naruto._

_     Uzumaki Naruto, wake up._

     "Ne?" Naruto jerked himself awake. "Who's…who's there?"

_     It is I._

     "And who, exactly, is _'I'?!" the boy demanded glancing around his room for any signs of movement. He saw none._

_     You know me, Naruto. You should know that._

     "Well, I _don't!" Snatching up a double-bladed shuriken beside his bed, the blond haired boy backed against the wall. "You still haven't told me who you are."_

     _Don't play innocent with me, Naruto. I've been with you almost since you were born. I've seen everything about you, and I know all your strengths and weaknesses._

     The boy made a face. "What's _that supposed to mean?"_

_     Don't try to resist me while I get what I want. I know you better than you know yourself._

     Naruto was becoming frustrated. "Godammit! Just tell me who you are!"

_     You'll figure it out._

     "Are you a ghost?"

     _Something like that._

     "Then…why are you here?"

_     I want something from you, Naruto._

     "What?"

_     I want my freedom._

     "Freedom?" Naruto clutched the knife in cold hands. "How could I give _that to you?"_

_     You are my prison. For nearly twelve years, I've been trapped within you._

     Naruto broke out in a cold sweat. _You mean… "You mean to tell me that you're…Kyubi? The fox?"_

_     Very good, Uzumaki. I was wondering when you'd guess._

     The blond haired shinobi was sweating all over. "How can you talk to me?"

_     I'm _within_ you. How else?_

     "Why do you want me to give you your freedom?"

     _So that I won't be imprisoned within the body of a foolish boy! Do you _know _how long I've tried to connect with your mind? And this is the first time you've ever even heard __me._

     "What do…you want me to do?" Naruto inquired in a low and slightly scared voice.

     _I want you to let me go._

     "How the hell am I supposed to do _that?!"_

_     Your whole mind and body must want me free._

     The boy scowled. _And if he's free, then history will repeat itself._

_     I know what you're thinking, boy. _The voice sounded impatient. _Don't think you can hide anything from me._

     "What…" Naruto licked dry lips and tried again. He could barely catch his breath; so great was the pounding of his heart. "What if…I didn't _want _you free?"

     _Then you will suffer as one possessed by a demon should!_

     The young shinobi gripped the shuriken until he felt his hand cramp. "N…no…" he managed. "I won't do it…I-I can't destroy my own village."

_     Why should _you _care? You said yourself that Konohagakure hates you! Why lose a chance to get your revenge?_

     "Because not all of them are bad!"

     There was a long silence.

_     Mark my words, Naruto. In a few weeks, you'll be thinking on the exact contrary._

     "No. No! Nai!!" The boy was quickly becoming angry. "I _won't! _I won't do it!"

_     Be _quiet, _Naruto!_

     "Gah!" A sudden shock of pain tore through the boy's body. Naruto's legs couldn't support him as the torment increased, and he collapsed to the ground. _"Stop it!!"_

     _Nai__.___

     Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself not to cry. He couldn't speak, only concentrating on catching his breath.

_     I see that you're stubborn as ever, Naruto. Very well, I will leave you now. But I will be back._

_     Later._

     Naruto lay huddled into a tight ball, sobbing quietly as the pain slowly faded away.

     It was some time before he finally fell asleep.


	5. The Tournament: First Round

I haven't been in an updating mood...so please excuse this long-delayed chapter.

And I know very little about ninjutsu...okay? So don't incinerate my com with flames just because I forgot or added something I shouldn't have.

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     "Hey, Kyote?"

     "Yeah?" The teenager glanced up.

     "Why do you and Shinzuko fight so much?"

     "Didn't I tell you just _because?"_

     "That's not a real reason," Naruto shot back.

     Kyote sighed. "It's something I'd rather not talk about," he said. "Now let's get on with this. Kakashi said to meet him in an hour."

     "What's the first thing you're going to show me?" Naruto asked.

     "The Shield of the Ox," Kyote replied. "It's the easiest of the seven. Which is probably why I chose learning that over the Wolf family's Stealth. The first part of learning it is memorization. You have to memorize the code for tapping into the power, and the signs. It also helps develop your chakra so you won't wear yourself out each time you use the technique. Unlike _me."___

     Naruto clenched his fists. "Yeah?"

     Kyote told him the code. "Then there's the signs. You know them all, right?"

     "Hai, but I never learned how to use them."

     "Okay, well, the first sign for this technique is the Dragon. Then the Ox." The teenager crossed his arms. "But you need to memorize the code first.

     For the entire hour, the two shinobi practiced. By the time they had to go and meet Kakashi and the others, Naruto had memorized the code, and had almost been able to execute the defensive technique.

     As the two walked through the woods, Kyote glanced at Naruto. "Are you all right?"

     "Ne?" Naruto snapped himself out of his train of thought. "I'm _fine. Why?"_

     Kyote grinned. "You're too quiet."

     The younger boy stuck his hands in his pockets with a sigh. Kyote's grin disappeared. "What's wrong?"

_     Mark my words, Naruto. In a few weeks, you'll be thinking on the exact contrary._

     "Nothing," Naruto muttered. In his mind he kept replaying his fight with the fox. _Why is it that, after all these years, the demon decides to pop up now...__of all __fucking possible times!?_

     Kyote opened his mouth to object, but suddenly glanced up. "I smell smoke."

     "Ne?" Naruto followed his gaze. He gasped under his breath. "I _see smoke!"_

     A shout from not-so-far-off sent them running.

     Sasuke appeared from nowhere and caught up to them.

     "What's happening?" Kyote demanded, looking over his shoulder.

     Sasuke clenched his fists. "You smell that smoke?"

     "Yeah. Where's the fire?"

     The black haired boy was about to reply...and then he remembered himself. Remembered the age-old feud between the Uchiha and Ryuuchi clans. "We...don't know," he muttered, his voice abruptly cold.

     The three boys burst into the clearing where Kakashi, Shinzuko, and Sakura waited.

     "What's up?" Naruto inquired. "Where's the fire?"

     Kakashi pointed. "In the valley."

     Sakura was standing on the edge of the cliff above the canyon. "And it's spreading fast!"

     Kyote scanned the forested valley for the easiest way down. His twin brother was way ahead of him.

     "This way," Shinzuko ordered. "I got a plan."

     Kyote and Shinzuko slid down the rocky slope with the others right behind them.

     In the valley, the smoke was worse. The shinobi held an arm over their eyes and mouth to keep out the gray vapor. But the strangest thing was...there was no fire.

     Huge clouds of billowing smoke swirled upward, choking anyone foolish enough to inhale it. But there was no fire; only the _smoke _that wafted through the eerily silent valley on the light breeze.

     "What the hell-?" Shinzuko was at a loss for words.

     Sasuke glanced around. "There's only smoke!"

     The Calm before the Storm.

     As if on cue, a sudden explosion shook the ground below them all.

     Sakura gasped, pointing several feet away. "There's the fire!"

     The fire was everywhere in a moment. Everyone was coughing.

     "H-how'd it _spread so fast?" Naruto managed to yell._

     "It's gasoline!" Kyote was suddenly angry. "Someone did this on _purpose...!"_

     Kakashi watched them silently. _This is one of the many tests along the way to becoming shinobi. Deal with the unexpected._

     "Run!" Shinzuko yelled. "C'mon!"

     Within minutes, the six shinobi were up on the cliff, gasping for fresh air. They were all dizzy and a little sick from breathing so much smoke, but no one was seriously burned.

     "What're we supposed to do _now, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura demanded._

    Kakashi snickered. _"You are the ones who are being tested and trained. __You figure it out."_

     _Damn. _Naruto cursed under his breath. _Thanks a _lot, _Kakashi!_

     "It's spreading towards the forest!" Sasuke shouted above the roar of the fire. "It could hit Konohagakure in a minute!"

     "There's no way we can stop it before it gets _there!" _Naruto exclaimed in despair. "We'll _never _stop it in time!"

     _But there's _one _way to stop it. _"Shinzuko." Kyote turned to his older twin. "What about the Deluge?"

     His brother was on him in a moment. "Bullshit, Kyote," he hissed in his rasping voice. "You _know that you can barely take the strain of _one _of those techniques!" If it wasn't for the teenager's harsh tone, Naruto imagined that Shinzuko was __worried about his brother._

     "But I've almost memorized this one!" Kyote protested, sounding like the eager kid he would have been if his life hadn't been so harsh. "Let's just do it! I can't do this alone, you _know_. I'll need your strength to uphold mine!"

     Shinzuko sighed. "If you say..."

     The twins stood at the edge of the cliff. Kyote and his brother exchanged a glance, and the older one nodded.

     _Dragon! Dolphin! _Two signs made in unison, and a flood of water washed through the valley. _Deluge of the Dolphin Technique!_

     Within seconds, the fire was out. Smoke turned into wisps of steam. The silence was so abrupt that the shinobi thought it odd.

     "Damn," Naruto said quietly. He looked to Kyote. "That was one of the techniques, right?"

     The teenager nodded. Sakura instantly began asking questions.

_     "How'd_ you _do_ that?" she demanded of Kyote. "And could you teach us?"

     Shinzuko motioned towards the woods. _"I'll teach you," he said, his habitual bad mood forgotten. "Kyote needs a break."_

     Abruptly, Sasuke caught sight of reflected sunlight from the corner of his eye. "What the-?"

     Kyote followed his gaze. "Something shiny."

     Shinzuko made a face. "Gee, ya _think?!"_

     "I'll go see!" Naruto volunteered abruptly. Before anyone could stop him, the blond haired boy scampered down the cliff and ran towards the _thing._

     _It's a damn trap! _Sasuke sighed. _That fool_.__

     But, contrary to what the others thought, it wasn't a trap.

     "Hey!" Naruto yelled up to them. "It's a chain!"

     Shinzuko's eyes widened slightly. "Wait a minute..." He skidded down the slope with Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, and Kyote right behind him. "Let me see that!" Naruto handed it over.

     The black haired teenager examined the pendant on the chain. It was in the shape of a dragon. He cursed.

     Kyote gave the silver pendant a quick glance. "I _think _we know who started the fire..." he said.

     "It was Taroshi and his bunch," Shinzuko said angrily. "Shit. I have to go." Without another word, he leaped into the air and dashed off.

****

     "Who's...Taroshi?" Sakura asked when Shinzuko had gone.

     Kyote groaned under his breath. "He's one of the strongest members of the Ryuuchi clan. And the most _arrogant."___

     "What's Shinzuko going to do to him?"

     Kyote gave the girl an odd look. "Why don't you ask _him?"_

****

    Ryuuchi Shinzuko and Kyote had both been training the three members of cell seven with knowledge that came from being members of a militaristic clan. Almost everyone involved seemed to change. Sakura stopped badmouthing Naruto. Naruto stopped acting recklessly. Kyote was beginning to like being a jônin. Even Sasuke temporarily forgot about the feud between the Uchiha and Ryuuchi clans long enough to learn a lot.

     So he could become stronger.

     But I didn't say that _everyone changed._

     Shinzuko was still as harsh as ever. And Kakashi...well, he was still _Kakashi._

     But still, morale—and teamwork—was high in cell seven.

     After several weeks of rigorous preparation, the first round of the tournament came. In this round, only the cells of Konohagakure would compete. The winner of this set would go on to fight cells from other villages and clans; cells that had won their own tournaments. This would go on until only one cell was left.

     "And that cell is gonna be _us!" _Naruto said, filled with excitement.

     "If this goes well, it's ramen on me," said Kyote.

     Naruto eyed him skeptically. "I thought you hated ramen."

     Kyote grinned as they entered the tournament area. "Oh...in your case I'll make an exception."

     Shinzuko caught the warm glance that passed between the two boys and scowled darkly.

     Cell seven sat in the place set aside for them between cells six and eight as they waited for their names to be called. Kakashi stood against a tree behind them, watching the proceedings with a seemingly-languid but actually concentrated eye.

     The man in charge of the Konohagakure round of the tournament, Sameru-sensei, stood and called one name from each cell for the first category.

     Demonstrating an elemental technique.

     When he called Naruto's name for cell seven, Sasuke glanced at the blond haired boy. "Better not ruin this for us," he said warningly. "This is one of the categories that holds the most points."

     Naruto smirked. "No big deal," he said confidently as he walked to the center of the circular area.

     Sakura rolled her eyes. "Now I'm _really worried."_

     Sameru surveyed the nine junior shinobi assembled. "Begin."

     Each did their own technique. Some didn't do so well. Some did. Naruto was one of the latter.

     "All _right!"__ Sakura exclaimed when the points were announced. __I can't believe that Naruto, __of all people, __actually did something right, she thought._

     "That was great, Naruto," Kyote said steadily. "You did Shield of the Ox better than I taught you."

     The blond haired boy grinned. "Domo," he said sheepishly.

     "But it still needs work," Shinzuko cut in.

     Category #2 was "personal" techniques, which were ones that involved shinobi using things. Like bunshin no jutsu.

     Sakura was called up for this one. Naruto frowned.

     "Why couldn't _I do this one?" he demanded of himself. "Everyone __knows that Art of the Doppelganger is my best technique!"_

     "Exactly," said Kakashi behind them. "This tournament is about developing areas of weakness. _Not to enhance strength."_

     Naruto looked to Kyote.

     "What he said," the teenager agreed.

     "Begin."

     Sasuke impassively watched the demonstration. "What technique is Sakura using?" he asked.

     "Four Corners Technique," Kyote explained. "A Ryuuchi variation of Art of the Doppelganger."

     The boy grinned slightly. _I must admit...Sakura's much improved. She's a better shinobi than I gave her credit for._

****

     In the brief interval before the last category was announced, cell seven went over the tally of points that Kakashi had been keeping.

     "We've got enough to put us in third," Shinzuko figured. "But we need _first to get to the next round...!"_

     "Thanks for stating the obvious," Naruto muttered sarcastically.

     The black haired jônin was about to retort but shut his mouth. _Chikushoume__.___

_     "You're_ the one who's sparring, Sasuke," Kyote reminded him. "So do something...unpredictable. To get us in first."

     Sasuke nodded wordlessly.

     "Cell seven," Sameru-sensei called. "Uchiha Sasuke."

     Kyote nodded towards the boy. "Good luck, Sasuke."

     The younger one clenched his fists. "Hn." He walked into the circle and he and his opponent, a boy named Roninki from cell four, bowed to each other. Then they turned and bowed to Sameru, who was acting as a referee.

     "Begin."

     Roninki's hands moved swiftly to his shuriken holster. Within seconds, a fierce shuriken barrage rained down on Sasuke. The black haired boy leaped back to avoid it, but got cut on his arm.

     "Sasuke's hurt!" Sakura cried.

     "Nai, but you are _overreacting!" _muttered Naruto.

     It was  evident from the beginning that Roninki was _fast. _Shuriken flew at will as he literally ran circles around Sasuke. The younger boy fought back in anger, throwing his own shuriken.  Roninki only snatched them out of the air and threw them back.

     "Damn!" Kyote muttered.

     "He's as good as Master Kakashi!" Sakura noted.

     Sasuke was feeling an uncharacteristic urge to panic as he sidestepped a well-aimed attack. _He's good. Roninki spun and directed the force of a technique at him. _Real good._ The blast of fire barely missed burning him. __But I'm better._

     Kyote suddenly smiled.

     "What's so funny, Kyote?" Sakura demanded.

     The black haired teenager crossed his arms. "Do you see what Sasuke's doing?"

     "He's taking a major beating," Naruto put in.

     "He's letting Roninki wear himself out," Kyote corrected. "I _know _that the second Roninki lets down his guard. It'll be over."

     Sakura frowned. "Hm..."

     Sasuke was thinking the exact thing that Kyote was...but the only problem was that Roninki didn't seem to be getting tired at _all._

     _Dammit_! How long is this going to take!__

     Cursing under his breath, Sasuke decided to make his move. He used the Four Corners Technique, which was something that he had only _seen _Sakura do...

     But it worked. Four flashes of light, and Roninki was down for the count. Sasuke stood above him, breathing heavily. _All right.___

     _"YES!" _Naruto yelled, leaping to his feet. "We did it! We actually won this round!"

     There was silence for a moment. Then everyone began to talk.

     "We're going on to the second round!" Sakura was happy enough to revoke her crush on Sasuke.

     "You learned faster than I thought you would," Kakashi put in.

     "Same here," added Kyote.

     Naruto sighed. "I guess you _are the reason we get to go to the next round," he said half-grudgingly. "So...__very nicely done."_

     Sasuke grinned slightly. "Thanks," he said quietly.

     Only Shinzuko didn't compliment the black haired boy's success. He stood apart from the others, scowling darkly. Kyote noticed this and came over to his brother. And he did it cautiously. His twin had a temper to be reckoned with.

     "What's wrong with _you?" he asked, hiding the fact that he was angry._

     Shinzuko was watching Naruto with the eyes of a hawk. "Since _when,_ dear_ brother, did you make 'exceptions' for those who have killed members of our family?" he hissed mockingly. "It's almost as if you have a crush on him."_

     Kyote winced. _First Lord Hokage and now Shinzuko.__ "At least __I have gotten over Father's death," he muttered before running to join the others on their way to the Ichiraku Noodle Bar._

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Soooooo...what'dja think?!?!? R/R and let me know!!!

~KR


	6. Team Seven

Kanimoto: JAPANESE IS SO DAMN CONFUSING!!!!! I'LL NEVER LEARN IT!!!!!! Oh wait. I will. I'm taking Japanese as my language for my first year of high school next year. *dances*

Kani (again): This chapter was seven pages long. And it sucks since I didn't know what else to write. Stupid writer's block. *sulks*

Naruto: Shut up, Kani-chan! *changes subject* And in this chapter, there's some yaoi (at LONG LAST).

Kani: Yeah, I decided to put some in _before _the yaoi chap that's going to be...aww...never mind.

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     That night, Naruto couldn't sleep. He lay awake, staring up at the ceiling as he replayed the first round of the tournament over and over in his mind.

     _I got lucky this time,_ he thought as the next day drew near. _Hopefully, my luck will hold just long enough to last the rest of this tournament._

     If, _that is, you _live _through it all._

     "Huh?" Naruto sat upright. _Oh...no. Not that fox __again._

_     Oh, yes._ There was a tense pause. _Well? Have you decided to release me...or do I have to make __you?_

_     Shut the hell up! _Naruto rubbed his forehead against an impending headache.

_     Only if you change your mind about letting me go._

     "No...!" The blond haired boy threw himself facedown on his pillow, covering his ears. "Get _out of my head!"_

     It was near dawn.

     "Naruto?"

     Naruto raised his head. He frowned. _"What are __you doing here, Kyote?"_

     The black haired teenager hopped into the boy's room from his perch on the windowsill. "I couldn't sleep," he said quietly. "And what about you? Sounds like you just had a nightmare."

     _And I did. I have a demon in me that wants OUT. _Naruto bit his lip. "I was thinking about the tournament."

     Kyote slowly walked over to his friend's bed. "And I was thinking about you."

     The blond haired shinobi couldn't help but become irritated.

     "Why do you insist on _doing _this to me?!" Naruto demanded. "I like you as a friend—_not _as a _boyfriend—and I don't want to become gay!"_

     "Okay." Kyote held up his hands. "I'm sorry." He sighed half-angrily. "You won't even give me a chance?"

     The blond haired boy crossed his arms and stared at the far wall. "Why should I give _you a chance if no one ever gave one to __me?"_

     "Because you _do have__ a chance!" Kyote shot back. "You had a chance to prove yourself in front of Konohagakure, and now that we've won, you got an even _bigger _chance to do all that and more!"_

     Naruto opened and closed his mouth. He couldn't think of anything to say, so he said nothing.

     _"Please,_ Naruto," the teenager urged as he sat beside the boy. "Just for tonight...?"

     _Jeez..._ "Fine, then," Naruto muttered after a moment. _"Just for tonight."___

     "Hm." Kyote leaned forward, capturing the younger one's lips in a soft kiss. Naruto was adamant for the first few seconds, but his mouth began to ignore his brain as he kissed back.

     The sun broke over the crest of the hills as the two rolled onto the bed, their lips still locked as Kyote's hands reached into Naruto's shirt, searching the boy's chest. The teenager broke the kiss, and Naruto shivered as Kyote pulled his shirt over his head and let his fingers play over the boy's smooth skin.

     After a moment, Kyote pulled back and threw off his own shirt. He straddled the younger shinobi and kissed him again. Naruto moaned into the other's mouth as hips rubbed together and he felt himself harden.

     "Kyote..." he gasped, pulling back swiftly. The boy met the older shinobi's eyes and the teenager's lust was mirrored in his.

     But before the Kyote could go any further, they were both stopped by a knock on the door. And a voice. "Are you awake, Naruto?"

     "Dammit!" Kyote growled under his breath. He jumped off the bed, grabbed his shirt, and slipped into Naruto's closet.

_     Way to go, Master Iruka! And not a moment too soon!!_

     "I'm awake," the boy replied. "Iruka-sensei."

     The black haired man entered the room. "You'd better get dressed. Lord Hokage wants us to meet him at his place in an hour."

     "An _hour?"___

     Iruka crossed his arms. "Yes, Naruto. An _hour.__ Is there something wrong with that?"_

     "N-no." Naruto shook his head. "I just didn't realize that it was morning."

     "Well..." Iruka's voice trailed off and his eyes went to the closet. "I'll be outside, Naruto."

     When the man had left, Naruto climbed out of bed. "You can come out, Kyote," he called softly.

     The teenager opened the sliding door and stepped out. He had put his shirt back on, and was now fully dressed. Before he went to the window, Naruto stopped him with a hand. He had to admit one thing. "Kyote..."

     "I know," Kyote said softly. "The moment's ruined. But I know you liked it." He smirked. "See you at Lord Hokage's, Naru-kun."

     The blond haired boy watched the Ryuuchi ninja leaping away from rooftop to rooftop. Naruto grinned as he got dressed.

_     You're wrong, Kyo-chan. I didn't "like" it._

_     I _loved _it._

****

     "Remember," Lord Hokage the Third told cell seven at the end of their meeting. "You three will be representing all of us here...Konoha Village...in your travels. I expect you to be on your best behavior."

     The spiky blond haired boy winced. He had known that the last sentence was coming, and that it was reserved for him alone.

     Especially since Lord Hokage was glaring at _him_ when he said it.

****

     "Walking," said Shinzuko, "is the worst form of transportation since _flying."_

     Sakura raised her eyebrows. "Oh, yeah? How so? Flying seems cool."

     The young jônin gripped the straps of his backpack. "It's only cool if you know how to do it."

     Naruto snickered.

     "We need a name," Sakura spoke up after a moment.

     "We have names," Naruto shot back mischievously. "I'm Naruto. You're Saku-chan."

     "Don't call me that!" The rose haired girl slapped him. "And you know what I mean! 'Cell seven' is...getting _old."_

     Naruto thought for a moment. "How about the One-Dumb-Girl-And-Five-Guys-Who-Don't-Know-Where-The-Hell-They're-Going-And-Why Team?"

     Kakashi listened to the young ninjas' arguing in amusement.

     But observant as they were, none of them realized the impending danger they were in.

     "You are an idiot, Naruto," Sakura muttered.

     "Squad Seven?" the blond haired boy said next.

     _"Team _Seven," Sasuke corrected. "Squad sounds like something from the hospital."

     No one spoke for a moment. "Then Team Seven it is," Kakashi broke in.

     "Very funny," muttered Sakura. She ran ahead to walk with Kyote, who was several yards ahead of the rest of the group.

     Noticing this, Naruto groaned. "Sakura's after Kyote now."

     Sasuke frowned. "Kyote isn't after Sakura, though."

     "Bad news for Saku-_chan__," Naruto sang out. Sakura ignored him._

     Shinzuko spoke up. "As far as _I remember, Kyote's never liked __any girl."_

     Naruto walked more slowly. _Maybe, he thought. __But has he ever liked any boy?_

_     Duh. There's _me.

     Ever since the first round that cell seven had won, everyone had been in exceptionally good moods. Even Shinzuko didn't act as callous towards the others like he used to.

     "It's because you and Sakura and Sasuke did better than he thought you would," Kyote had told Naruto earlier. "He expected you to wimp out. And it's because we're going to our homeland. That's where Round Two is going to be, and...we haven't...been home...in a while."

     Naruto had been about to ask _why, but something in Kyote's blue-gray eyes stopped him._

     Something that could have been called _dread.___

     Now, as he plodded along behind the others, Naruto contemplated asking Kyote _why. _But he didn't get a chance to decide.

     Because a hail of shuriken rained down around the unsuspecting shinobi. "Get back!" Kakashi yelled. Shinzuko and Kyote managed to instinctively leap clear and vanish into their surroundings, but the three members of cell—I mean _Team_—Seven were hit and cried out, more from surprise than pain.

     "...the hell...?" Sasuke muttered, ducking into the bushes to get the shuriken out and catch his breath. The others followed suit.

     "Are you hurt?" the black haired boy asked of the other two once they were out of firing range.

     "No...I'm okay," Naruto replied. "Shuriken in my arm...nothing serious."

     "What's going on?" Sakura whispered.

     Sasuke frowned at the shapes shifting in the trees. "I'd like to know that myself."

     "Did you even _realize that we're on the edge of a __cliff?!" The rose haired girl began to panic. "I knew I shouldn't have come! I—"_

     "Sakura. _Please," Naruto groaned._

     Shinzuko appeared. "Are you all okay?" he asked huskily and with genuine concern. Kakashi was right behind him, but said nothing.

     "Fine," replied Sasuke curtly. He repeated Sakura's question. "What's going on?"

     The older jônin drew his sword. "I'd like to know that myself!"

     A shadow dropped from the trees (Kani: Ooh, freaky. -_-). "There you are, Ryuu-_chan__," it taunted. The voice's owner was a tall teenager with the Ryuuchi's clan's headband in his brown hair. Shinzuko tensed; Naruto saw it._

     "Taroshi, what are you doing here," the older twin growled. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto watched them wordlessly. There was nothing for _them to do._

     "I'm here to exterminate the pests," Taroshi said, and behind him appeared two shinobi, both about his age and height. "And to pay you back for jumping me last week."

     _"You _started the fire," Shinzuko muttered. "And you could have gotten us killed!"

     "Uh-huh." Taroshi nodded listlessly. "And by the way, are you Kyote or Shinzuko?" He stepped forward and ran a finger over the teenager's jaw. Shinzuko slapped it away. Taroshi laughed as he stepped back. "Why you're Shinzu-chan, of course," he decided. "Only _you _would dare to fight _me. And only you have a very—"_

_     "Shut up!" _Shinzuko actually screamed and the others flinched, sensing the tension between the two teenagers. He turned halfway to draw his sword, and Naruto saw that he was sweating hard. "Get ready," he whispered to the three genin.

     Taroshi grinned. "Teaching half-pints now, eh?" he mocked. "Jeez, you've changed. Before you and your brother left home, you didn't care about a little—"

     "Be quiet." Shinzuko's face contorted in anger. "And don't...tempt...me..."

     "How about we _fight instead?" Taroshi charged, swinging his sword down as he came. Shinzuko stepped to the side, and the blade whiffed through branches of an overhanging tree._

_     Sharp. _Remembering how they had been taught, Sasuke stood beside Shinzuko (since Kyote was still missing) and Naruto and Sakura stood back-to-back. The three were ready to draw shuriken. Kakashi watched them, looking unconcerned.

     Taroshi was slightly surprised, but hid it well. "Huh!" He glanced at Naruto. "Have I seen you before?"

     The blond haired boy clenched his fists. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

     "Then that means..." The brown haired teenager smirked. "Sheesh...I didn't know that the demon fox's host was an undersized dunce."

     _Dunce! _Naruto held his fists so tightly he heard his knuckles crack. _That's it!! He filled his hands with shuriken, throwing them as hard and fast as he could. Taroshi and the two shinobi dropped and rolled to their feet to avoid the knives. One of the other teenagers snickered._

     "Not bad for a shrimp," he commented.

     "Not bad, huh?" Naruto grinned slightly. "Then what do you think of _this...?!" He brought four fingers together. "Art of the Doppelganger!"_

     A thousand doppelgangers, all perfectly like their conjurer, appeared all around them. Shinzuko gasped. _Damn..._

     "That's it. _That's it!" Taroshi gripped his sword in both hands and the two teenagers with him did the same. His smirk widened. "I'm going to kill you."_

_     You're welcome to try._

_     "Stop it, _Naruto!" Shinzuko shouted. "What are you, daft? Taroshi's one of the best sword wielders in the Ryuuchi clan!" Naruto disregarded what the older twin was saying.

     "Ready?!"

     Taroshi laughed. "Ready."

     "Let's go!"

     The thousand Naruto doppelgangers threw themselves on Taroshi, but he simply hurled his sword at the one he knew was Naruto.

     "Naruto!" Kakashi suddenly shouted. He sped to the blond haired boy, but he was too far away to make it in time. _No..._

     "Stop it!" A shadow suddenly imposed itself between Naruto and the sword, deftly blocking it with something he held.

     Shinzuko glared at the person he saw. "Hikaru!"

     _Hikaru?Naruto—and his doppelgangers—looked up. __"Who are _you?"__

     The newcomer didn't reply, just started fighting with the two shinobi who were standing behind Taroshi.

     The two shinobi with Taroshi were taken by surprise as a boy half their size slammed them to the ground. But using a double-teaming technique they knew, the two soon had Hikaru in a death grip.

     _"That," _muttered Shinzuko as the boy's face came into view, "is my brother Hikaru."

     "What's he doing here?" Naruto questioned. "I thought you said it would take two days to get to the Land of the Dragons."

     Before Shinzuko could answer, another person dropped from the trees. This time it was Kyote.

     "What's going on?" he demanded; a question that the others had asked more than once. "What's this all about?"

     "I'll give it to you straight," Taroshi said shortly. "Shinzuko jumped these guys and me last week. Just for starting a damn fire."

     "You could have killed us!" Shinzuko yelled. "Why the hell did you do that, anyway?"

     Taroshi's dark eyes narrowed. "Do you _really _want to know? Let's just say it has something to do with our little dispute four years ago."

     "I know." The older twin was whispering now. "Just because...of _Father."___

_     Father? _Naruto glanced up. He remembered when Iruka had told him...

     _Because of the demon fox, Shinzuko lost out on a lot._

     ...so he figured that this "dispute" had something to do with that.

     Not that he knew what it was.

     "Enough with the talk," Taroshi hissed. "I'm here to settle this once and for all. To be frank, I'm here to kill you."

     "All of us?" demanded Sakura.

     "All of you," the teenager replied. "Or would you rather join me in the torture chamber my father owns?"

     Much to everyone's relief, Sakura shut her mouth.

     "You're not gonna kill _me. _Not while I can still..._move!" A second hail of shuriken caused everyone to throw themselves back, almost rolling off the cliff. __That was from Hikaru._

     "What the hell's Hikaru doing here?" Shinzuko hissed to his twin after they made sure that the others weren't about to fall off the cliff.

     Kyote shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe he heard we were coming."

     Naruto was still using bunshin no jutsu, and his doppelgangers were still everywhere. _He's too vulnerable at this point, _Kakashi told himself. _There are too many doppelgangers for him to defend. _"Naruto!" he yelled suddenly. "Drop the technique!"

     "What?"

     Taroshi saw the opening. "Yes!" He threw his sword again. _Can't get away this time!_

     But this time, Sasuke shoved Naruto aside, even though the blond haired shinobi was cut by the blade. Sasuke threw himself to the ground also, but the sword caught him in the arm. Howling in pain, the doppelgangers vanished, leaving only the two boys, who were both on their knees and clutching their bleeding arms.

     "Don't move," Kakashi warned when he reached them.

     "Don't worry," Sasuke muttered, glancing at the cut he had received. It was deep and pouring blood. "I won't."

     Naruto's cut was rather shallow, but he remembered the time he had gotten scratched by a poisoned blade. The sword was probably poisoned, too. _Take no chances. He stayed still._

     And watched the battle.

     Short as he was, Hikaru was able to match every blow the two shinobi threw at him. Kyote and Sakura were helping him, while Kakashi and Shinzuko took on Taroshi.

     Naruto's gaze fell on Sasuke beside him. The black haired boy reddened and looked away. Naruto frowned. _What's he looking at me for?_

     A random thought crossed his mind. _Well, he did save your life. Maybe he likes you._

_     Shut up. Just because Kyote likes you doesn't mean that Sasuke does. He saved my life before, so what makes this any different?_

_     For one thing, he didn't call you a big chicken..._

     Naruto groaned. _Don't start._

     "Hikaru, _jump!"__ Kyote ordered unexpectedly. Hikaru hesitated to look up, and when he did, a spiked chain whistled through the air, wrapping him in its painful coils._

     "Damn it!" Kyote spun out of reach of another chain. _The Dragon family and their chains..._

     "Claws of the Tiger Technique!" Shinzuko abruptly declared. His hands were suddenly the last thing that Taroshi and his two friends wanted to be near. Shouting madly, the teenager was upon them, scratching, cutting, and slashing wildly.

     "Stop...it!" Taroshi pleaded above his enemies' yells. "Stop it!! I'll leave you alone if you do!"

     Sasuke smirked. _Not laughing now,_ eh?__

     But Shinzuko wasn't laughing either.

     "You're going to pay, Ryuuchi Taroshi!" he shouted before plunging the claws into the teenager's neck.

     Sakura gasped. Naruto and Sasuke stared in disgust. _How _could_ he? Taroshi choked, spewing dark blood from his mouth, nose, and throat. Shinzuko withdrew the claws, emotionlessly watching him die._

     "Sh...in...zu...ko..." Taroshi gasped. He tried to say more, but the words stock in his throat. He twitched once, coughing for breath. His body went limp.

_     He's dead._

     The other two shinobi stared at Taroshi's body in horror. Then, slowly, they raised their eyes to Shinzuko. A vicious grin crossed the elder twin's face.

     "You look a little lost," he hissed. "Want to join your leader...in _hell?"_

     Even though he was still on the ground wrapped in the spiked chain, Hikaru raised his voice.

     "No, Shinzuko!" he cried. "Don't do it!"

     All too soon, it was over. Three blood-soaked bodies lay still on the grass. Shinzuko stood over them, breathing heavily. The claws over his hands disappeared; the technique had been dropped.

     "We won't be going anywhere tonight," Kyote whispered.

     It was getting late.

****

     Because of the shock everyone was in, Kakashi decided that they would make camp there in the forest. After they buried the three ninja that Shinzuko had killed, that is.

     "This is dumb," Naruto grumbled. "We were supposed to be halfway there by now...!"

     "Don't complain," the white haired jônin admonished. Naruto grimaced.

     Sasuke pressed his fingers against the bandage that held the deep arm gash closed. He winced at the stinging. "Is this still poisoned?" the black haired boy asked.

     "No," Kakashi replied. "I got most of it out; the rest isn't enough to be harmful."

     Kyote and Hikaru were sitting by the small fire, the younger twin helping his brother bandage his cuts. Sakura sat near them with her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms around them, watching Kyote's every move.

     Shinzuko sat at the edge of the cliff, away from the others, throwing rocks into the forest below.

     "Shinzuko."

     The teenager didn't turn, but Kakashi knew he was listening.

     "We were attacked by ninja from your clan, joined by Hikaru—whom you say is your brother—and some of us got hurt. Besides that, you killed the three who were from your _own clan!"_ Kakashi scowled. "I'd advise you to explain everything, so we won't get caught off-guard again like that!"

     Shinzuko sighed and got to his feet, walking towards the others.

     "Those ninja were from the Dragon family, which is the strongest in our clan," he explained. "For about six years, there has been a feud between the Dragon and Wolf families...about some damn things. Like the debts we owe them." He looked up at the others, each of whom was listening. " And since the Dragon family is stronger, we can't do that much about it."

     "What started all this?" Sakura asked tentatively.

     The black haired teenager gave a start. "My father's death," he mumbled. Sakura flinched. Continuing with his explanation, Shinzuko said, "I killed them...because they've been after Kyote and me for a long time, and because I...used to be an assassin." He glanced at the boy beside Kyote.

     "Hikaru was adopted six years ago from the Dolphin family. My father wanted him since he's a prodigy." Shinzuko glared at Kakashi. "Satisfied?"

     "No." The jônin crossed his arms. "Why didn't you or Kyote tell us all this before?"

     The teenager didn't reply, just went back to his place at the cliff's edge. No one spoke for some time. They all knew that they had a lot of traveling to do tomorrow.

     The full moon was rising.

`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`

Kani: Whaddya think? Here are some questions that'll make you (think, that is):

How did Hikaru know where Team Seven was? Who is he, anyway? What happened to his parents? Are they going to make it to the Land of the Dragons?!!?!?!?!?!?

All that and more coming up in chapter six.


	7. The Demon Guardians

A/N: I sincerely apologize for the long delay in posting chapters. I've been feeling a little down since my parents confiscated my issues of Shonen Jump, and writer's block has been tearing me up. Wait. Scratch the "feeling a little down". I've been so depressed I could've run away and taken my Shonen Jump if I were brave enough.

Sorry about that. Back to the story.

~~~~

Kani: Thanks to all the people who've corrected my terrible Japanese. -_-

Naruto: And yes, her Japanese really _is _that bad.

Kani: For anyone who cares, Ryuuchi Kyote's name is pronounced like the animal "coyote" (Kai-yo-tee).

Sasuke: What, are you some genius now?

Kani: Actually-

Sasuke: *grabs keyboard from Kani and starts typing* And as your reward for waiting, here's a chapter. *throws razor chapter at readers, wounding several*

Kani: Sasu-chan! Stop hurting our readers! They are the ones who review you **_KNOW. _***shoves Sasuke away from computer*

Sasuke: -_-*

Kani: Whatever! Now before Sasuke tries to kill me, here's your reading for the day! *Sasuke throws shuriken at Kani* Gahhh!!! Enjoy!!!!

`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~

     Ryuuchi Hikaru sat alone on the cliff as he watched the sun rise. He yawned, shaking his head hard to fully wake himself.

     Admittedly, the ash-blond haired boy didn't _have_ to be the lookout for the camp since he was the youngest there, but he had insisted and Kakashi had given in. The jônin had told Hikaru that he'd wake the boy a few hours before sunrise to complete the night watch.

     So now here he was; the youngest of his immediate family standing watch for the camp. The sun climbed higher, illuminating the boy's light hair. Hikaru sighed as he watched the light. He was very tired.

     Being an orphaned child prodigy, it was easy for him to get lonely. Which was why he had run away from home to meet his brothers on their way back to the Land of the Dragons. The boy knew he'd be in trouble when they got home. He just _had _to get away from the hassle that was his gifted seven year old life.

     Hikaru got to his feet, staring into the valley below. _I wake up at __six o'clock_, eat breakfast and got to shinobi school. _After __school, I go to the lake to practice my swimming. When that's done, I go home and my tutors come to give me my "advanced training." Then I do my homework, eat dinner, and go to bed around _ten o'clock___. The boy cursed himself. __Why did I even want __to be adopted into this family?_

_     Because, _he reminded himself, _they were the only ones who would adopt you. Your own Dolphin family didn't want you after your parents died._

_     But...why?_

_     Remember? You were too small, and you didn't want to learn how to swim. Besides, even if you _were _back with your family, you'd still have all this work. You are_ a genius.__

_     Oh yeah..._

_     That's why I ran away. The other kids were making fun of me. They always do that, and I hate them for it..._

     Hikaru turned, slowly walking around the small camp to the trees. The others were still asleep. The boy sat with his back against a tree, staring into the fire, which was now a smoldering mass. Wearing a dark green shirt and black shorts, he was easily concealed from sight. He gripped the harpoon that lay across his knees and waited.

     Each family of the Ryuuchi clan had their own favored weapon to use besides their swords and techniques. The Dolphin family mostly used harpoons, since they spent most of their time in the water. The Wolf family used blinding powder and caltrops, which were employed to cover hasty retreats. The Dragon family loved their spiked chains, which they often poisoned to add to their deadliness. The Ox family relied heavily on their swords, although they were powerful in had-to-hand combat. The Cobra family had mastered many tricks to put their enemies out of commission, and also used whips. The Tiger family used shuko, since these were easily hidden and could slash off an enemy's finger if sharp enough. And lastly, the Hawk family used bows and arrows, since they were useful for attacking from the sky.

     Hikaru lay farther back, closing his eyes unthinkingly.

_     When we go back home, I am going to be in so much trouble..._

****

     Hikaru opened his eyes with a gasp. He stared at the sky, and was greeted by the very worried-looking face of Uzumaki Naruto.

     "You all right?" the blond haired shinobi asked.

     "Yeah." Hikaru sat up and stretched. "Why wouldn't I be?"

     Naruto arched an eyebrow. "But you overslept."

     "Huh?" The light haired boy glanced at the sun. "Kami...it's almost _noon__!" He grabbed Naruto by the shoulders, shaking him vigorously. "I was supposed to be the fucking lookout! __Why the hell didn't you wake me up before?!"_

     "B-because Kakashi-sensei said to let you sleep!" Naruto jerked back, surprised that such a small boy could be so strong and have such a dirty mouth. "Besides, you're hurt. Let me _go."_

     Releasing the older boy, Hikaru moved to roll up his sleeping bag. "I'm sorry."

     "Well...c'mon. Everyone's waiting." Naruto got to his feet.

     And after ten minutes of packing, they were traveling once again.

     Unlike yesterday, no one was in the mood to talk. The shinobi**—**all seven of them**—**were busy scanning the bushes and trees for the slightest irregularity. Once, when a flock of birds took flight nearby, Sasuke automatically pulled a shuriken from his holster.

     But nothing happened. It was just a flock of birds taking arbitrary flight. The morning was peaceful.

_     Too peaceful._

     They didn't want another fight with the Dragon family.

     "How long till we get to the Land of the Dragons?" Sakura asked after about an hour of walking.

     "Tomorrow at the latest," Kakashi replied.

     "Although we would have been there _earlier _if a certain pair of jônin had simply _warned us about the Dragon family," Sasuke muttered bitingly. Shinzuko spun around in anger._

     "You _really think you're __funny...don't you, Sasuke?" he hissed._

     Sasuke's gray eyes darkened, like thunderheads before the storm. He didn't reply.

     "Leave Sasuke alone, Shinzuko-_sensei," _Sakura broke in defensively. The teenager ignored her.

     "What was _that?" Hikaru demanded unexpectedly, nearly giving the other shinobi multiple heart attacks._

_     "What_ was _what?"_ growled Shinzuko when he had steadied his breathing.

     Then everyone heard it; a high-pitched shrieking sound that reminded everyone of a preying hawk.

     "It's a _hawk," Kyote muttered. "Like the ones the Hawk family has. Wonder if they're around here...?"_

     "But we're a full day away!" Sakura reminded the others.

     "The Hawk family does a lot of exploring," Hikaru commented. "They _could _be around here."

     "And they could be looking for a certain _runaway," Shinzuko added, giving the ash-blond haired boy a dark look. Hikaru reddened in embarrassment._

     But another hour passed without the traveling shinobi seeing anyone.

     "Hikaru?" Sakura asked at length. "Shinzuko said you were his and Kyote's adopted brother, right?"

     "Uh-huh." The ash-blond haired boy nodded. "Why?"

     "How'd you know where we were?"

     Hikaru sighed. "I didn't. I just got bored with all the extra work I had, and I was tired of being left at home while Shinzu-san and Kyo-san and my sister Takara got to go places. So I sneaked out...and I found you!"

     "You're gonna be in trouble when we get home," Kyote reminded him. The boy merely shrugged.

     "I don't care." Hikaru crossed his arms. "Kaasama told me to get out anyway."

     The younger Ryuuchi twin arched an eyebrow. "She was mad at you? What for?"

     Hikaru clenched his fists. His face darkened. "I beat up some of the kids from the Dolphin family at shinobi school," he said in a small voice.

     "What made you do something stupid like _that?!" Shinzuko demanded. "You're lucky Tahariko-sensei didn't kill you!"_

     "But they made fun of me!" the short boy whined. "They said I couldn't become a real shinobi because I used to be scared of swimming...and because I was an orphan." He scowled. "I _hate them! I hate them all, niisama!"_

     "Calm, down, Hikaru," Kyote chided softly.

     Naruto felt a sudden pang of empathy for the sunshine haired boy genius who was so like him, but kept his mouth shut about his own problems, asking another question instead. "What happened to your parents, Hikaru?"

     "They died...in a fire...four years ago." Hikaru stared at the ground as he walked. "That's why...I fought the Dragons. I hate their fire." He kicked hard at a loose stone. "I hate a lot of things."

     "...oh..." An uncomfortable silence set in, as Naruto and the others were unsure of what to say.

****

     Another uneventful day of walking and night of camping passed. The morning of the next day, everyone was in a hurry to get going. The sooner they got to the Wolf family's territory, the better.

     "Naruto."

     "Mmm..." Naruto murmured into an almost-overflowing bowl of ramen.

     "Naruto!"

     "This stuff...is the best!" the young shinobi proclaimed loudly with his mouth full of noodles. "Whoever invented instant ramen is the _coolest!"_

     "Naruto!" Kakashi reached down, dealing the blond haired boy a crushing blow to the head.

     "Yow!" Naruto yelped, dropping his bowl and clutching the huge bump forming on his head as he spun around. "Who the fuck did that?!"

     "Enough ramen, Naruto," the white haired man said firmly. "We have to go. _Now."___

     "But I'm hungry-"

     "Hungry?" Kakashi crossed his arms, sounding irritated although Naruto knew he wasn't. "That's your third bowl!"

     "But-"

     The jônin gave Naruto a hard stare. "Do you want to sleep on the ground again tonight or in a nice warm bed?"

     The boy grimaced, still holding his head. "Nice warm bed."

     "Then get up. Let's go." Kakashi glanced at the others. "We're waiting."

     "Fine." Naruto grabbed his backpack, slipped it on, and hurried to catch up to the jônin, who had already started down the cliff.

****

     "Look! There! It's Shimayama no Taka!" Excitedly, Hikaru pointed to the mountain in the distance.

     "It looks like a giant cone with the top cut off," Naruto commented blandly. His head still hurt, and it had put him into a sour mood.

     "The Hawk family lives up there," Kyote told him. "They serve as our lookouts and the Ox family does border patrol." He sighed under his breath. _We're almost home..._

     "Kami..." Kyote muttered suddenly.

     Sasuke glanced at him quickly. "What is it?" he asked, noting that something was truly out of whack. "What's wrong?"

     "Yeah...what?" Hikaru arched one eyebrow.

     Kyote turned his blue-gray glare on his kid brother. "Don't you remember? The _Guardians?!"___

     The younger Ryuuchi suddenly froze in his tracks. "Wait!" he called to the others. "Come back!"

     "Something wrong?" Sakura asked when she and the other shinobi had gone back to where Kyote waited.

     Hikaru's ice-blue eyes scanned the surroundings. "We...forgot to tell you before...but there are seven creatures that guard the border along with the Ox family. The seven animals of the Ryuuchi clan." He scowled. "They're giant demons."

     "Like the demon fox," Shinzuko put in bitterly. Naruto bristled.

     "They watch over our land," Hikaru explained. "Or at least...they used to. Some time ago, they turned rogue and attacked our clan. We survived...and managed to shut the Guardians out with magic...but they went mad. And no one knows why. The monsters prowl the borders now...looking for any unwary shinobi."

     "What happens to them?" Sakura asked.

     "They're killed." The light haired boy reached for the harpoon strapped across his back, squeezing it hard. "That's what happened to my parents. They went out for a walk one night and got caught by the Dragon Guardian."

     Once again, Naruto felt the urge to speak, but he forced himself to remain silent.

     "So how are we going to get in?" Sasuke demanded, giving Shinzuko an accusing glare. "Why is it that you Ryuuchi 'forget' to tell us all of this crucial information? Why?"

     "Don't forget that I am a jônin, Uchiha," the elder twin retorted. "I did this to see how well you contend with unexpected news."

     "We Konoha ninjas contend with 'unexpected news' all the time," Sasuke countered. He took a step forward before Kakashi could stop him. "So give me the real reason why you never tell us what we need to know until the last minute!"

     There was a suspenseful pause. The expectant shinobi glared at Shinzuko, waiting for his reply. Even the ambiance sounds around them seemed to fade as everything paused to hear the next words.

     "I can't give you the real reason," the teenager muttered finally. "At least not now."

     "Then tell us if we can get over the border without getting attacked," Kakashi suggested, his voice sounding weary of all the arguments between Sasuke and Shinzuko.

     The twin with sea-green eyes let his piercing gaze travel over each one of his companions. "I can't," he whispered, his voice characteristically hoarse. "I wish I could but I can't."

****

     "This way!" Shinzuko called in a loud whisper.

     "No! Wait."

     "What's wrong, Kakashi?"

     The white haired jônin slowly raised his hand to point. "What's that there?" The elder Ryuuchi twin looked and sucked in his breath. Not twenty meters away from them lay one of the Guardians. The _Cobra Guardian._

      "K-_kami!" He moved back the way he had come. "Everyone get back!" the teen ordered under his breath. "We're about to walk into a trap!"_

     The others glimpsed the unmoving cobra curled around a tree. Its dark colors made it almost invisible against the foliage surrounding it. Sakura gasped. Naruto winced.

     "I got swallowed by a giant snake before," he managed through clenched teeth as the shinobi carefully backed away. "I-is it awake?"

     Kyote snickered. "If the Cobra was, it would've hit _us _before we saw _it."_

     "Is this how your clan became so powerful?" Sakura demanded softly. "You used these demons to conquer your enemies."

     "In a manner of speaking," Shinzuko muttered dryly.

     Naruto was listening to this exchange so closely that he didn't realize when he stepped on a fallen log. "Wha-aahh!!" The log moved, throwing the unsuspecting boy to the ground. The others turned on him.

     Shinzuko grabbed him by the front of his orange jacket. "You _fool!"_ he growled. "Have you any fucking idea of what you just _did?"_

     Scared of what the teenager might do to him, the blond haired boy only shivered. "No," he said in a small voice.

     But before the young jônin could curse him out further, the shinobi became aware of a faint rustling sound. The Cobra Guardian was awakening.

     "Oh, for the love of shit..." Shinzuko shoved Naruto behind him. "Nobody move," he hissed. "They track by sound and smell."

     The four genin and the three jônin stood motionless as the huge snake reared its head and slowly began to uncoil itself. Noticing the seven unusual shapes standing nearby, the Guardian lowered its oversized head to examine them. Sweat streamed down Naruto's face as a narrowed amber eye flicked past him.

_     Nobody move. They track by sound and smell._

_     At least they don't track by sight._

     The massive cobra closely studied the silent, frozen items with seeming amusement, but the orange-clad object was the one he was interested in. The Guardian slid closer, its tail curling around the thing's waist.

     Naruto was sure he fainted when the snake picked him up. How else would he have kept his mouth shut? But when the boy reopened his eyes and saw the long, forked tongue reaching out to smell and taste him, and the extended twin fangs dripping venom, and felt hot breath against his perspiring face...he couldn't stay quiet. Naruto opened his mouth to scream.

     _"Get me out of here!"_

     "Naruto!" Kyote shouted without thinking. His sheathed sword came free with a sharp ringing.

     The Cobra Guardian flinched at the noise, a rumble coming up from its throat. It looked at the objects below—who were moving to attack—one last time and, realizing that they were shinobi, decided that the best thing to do would be to get rid of the one it held. The snake raised Naruto—who was now kicking violently—to its wide jaws.

     "Naruto!" Sakura screamed.

_     I didn't die the last time I was eaten like this... _Naruto thought desperately. _And I can't__—am_ not—_going to die now!_

     Leaping as high as he could, Kyote was able to lop off a large portion of the cobra's tail. Shrieking in pain, the giant beast withdrew, and Naruto dropped to the ground. Kyote caught him before he hit the ground.

     "Are you all right, Naruto?" he whispered tersely.

     The blond haired boy was still numb with shock, but he regained enough of his senses in time to mumble, "H-hai."

     "Let's go!" Shinzuko shouted. "We're not strong enough to fight a Guardian like this!"

     Needless to say, the others quite _agreed with him. They tore after the black haired jônin, racing through the dense undergrowth. The Cobra Guardian was right behind them, its shortened rear end spurting blood._

     "Split up!" Kakashi ordered. "It can't follow all of us at once!"

     Naruto jumped to one side, tumbling down the slight incline of a low hill. Hikaru landed on top of him, but quickly rolled off and the two continued running.

     "How much farther to the Wolf territory?" Naruto yelled.

     "Not far," Hikaru panted. "About two...iie, _three kilometers."_

     "Crap. I can't run that far!" The blond haired boy slowed to a walk. "I need...to breathe..."

     "Naruto-"

     Just then, the snake appeared right in their path, letting out a very un-snakelike shriek. Both boys froze.

     "On second thought..." Naruto turned, his legs carrying him faster than before. "Come _on,_ Hikaru!" The boy was on his heels.

     "How do you fight this thing?!" the blond haired shinobi cried as his lungs began to burn.

     "The only way to fight is with powerful techniques!" Hikaru shouted back. "Which is something I don't have!" Suddenly, he tripped over a protruding tree root and fell. Looking up, he found himself face-to-face with the bottom of a cliff. "Shit! Dead end!"

     Silently, with its incisors trickling poison, the cobra slithered closer. As if it knew that the two shinobi were too afraid to call for help and that they couldn't run and that it was time for them to die.

     Naruto stood stock still, unsure of what to do. Unsure if there _was _anything to _do._ But then he recalled something and executed the first technique that came to mind.

     "Art of the Doppelganger!!"

     Then there were two...I mean, one thousand.

     "Whoa!" Hikaru stared at Naruto's clones in astonishment. "Kami, that's-"

     "Hikaru! Watch out!" the doppelgangers shouted. "Get _back!"_

     In one smooth motion, the Cobra Guardian dipped its enormous head down, piercing the light haired boy's torso with its fangs before Hikaru could think to move.

     The Dolphin boy stiffened unnaturally as the two teeth withdrew from his side. His face was drained to a sickly shade of white. For a moment, Hikaru just looked at the wound in disbelief, which was barely visible. Then the extreme agony from the immeasurable poison in his system reached his heart and he screamed.

     "What was that?" Shinzuko demanded sharply as a loud cry of pain swelled close by.

     "It's...oh, no. Iie..." Kyote started running. "Hikaru!"

     The small boy dropped to his knees, clutching the bloodstained mark just below his chest. Seeing that its prey was weakening, the Cobra Guardian lowered its long head to bite once more. Hikaru squeezed his eyes shut as he collapsed to the ground."N-Naruto..." he gasped as the Cobra moved closer. "H-help...me..."

_     Here it comes..._

     Time seemed to freeze. Naruto was beginning to panic.

_     What should I do? What techniques do I know?_

_     Very few, thanks to yours truly!_

_     Shut up!_

_     Do something...!_

     There _was _one technique that the blond haired boy thought would work, but he had only tried it once before.

_     Kami, let this work..._

     Naruto made the signs and yelled, "Four Corners Technique!"

     A square with threadlike thin lines appeared around the blond boy. He shut his eyes as the four corners began to glow, each with its own Naruto clone. Then he felt his chakra double and the technique reach its peak.

     "Perfect!" the boy shouted above the roar of energy gathering around him. His eyes snapped open; cerulean meeting amber for one split second before Naruto released the full power of the technique.

     The Cobra Guardian reared back as the four blows of light hit him and exploded. The others arrived in time to see the vast length of the snake quickly gliding off into the forest, trailing blood from its severed tail.

_     "Wow."_ Sakura stared after the disappearing cobra. "Is it going to die?"

     "Probably not," Kakashi replied, his dark eye warily scanning for any other Guardians.

     "It's just hurt," Shinzuko added, his voice breathless from running. "The tail should grow back. _Unfortunately."___

     "What about Hikaru?" Kyote demanded. He was kneeling beside his younger brother. Shinzuko dropped beside him.

     "Can you hear me, Hikaru?" he whispered.

     "It's hard...but...yes." The boy shivered. "Am I...going to die?"

     The bluntness of the question would have made the older twin laugh if the circumstances weren't so serious. "No," he replied quietly. "Just don't get excited, or the poison'll spread."

     "How many fingers am I holding up?"

     Hikaru squinted, his ice-blue eyes clouding over. "F-four?" he guessed as his voice weakened.

     "No. Two." Shinzuko lowered his head to the boy's chest and winced at the irregular heartbeat. He glanced up at his twin with a frown. "We have to get him to Kaasama."

     "Don't you have _hospitals?" Sakura called to Shinzuko as they ran. "Why are you taking Hikaru to your mother?" Kakashi had gone ahead to meet the Ryuuchi clan's leader while the younger shinobi went for help._

     "Hai...we have hospitals," the elder twin panted. "What made you think otherwise? But my mother...she's a nurse at one of them, and that's where we're going!"

     Sakura stumbled, almost tripping over a rock jutting up from the ground. "Will she be able to help him?"

     "Kaasama knows plenty about medicine. She'll at least _try." The teenager sighed. A hint of worry crept into sea-green eyes. "I _hope."__

     Kyote turned to the three genin. "You should go with Kakashi," he said. "Meet us at the hospital when Ryuukage's finished with you."

     "Okay!" Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura sped in the direction their jônin had gone. They soon came upon roads leading in opposite directions.

     "Wh-which way?" Naruto panted.

     Sasuke scowled, pointing left. "This way."

     "But I'm-"

     "Quiet! We're almost there."

****

     "So the team of the Fire Shadow has finally arrived, ne?" Lord Ryuukage let a slight frown mask his amusement. "You're a day late, you know."

     Kakashi nodded. "We were..._delayed,"_ he explained shortly. "And we apologize."

     Naruto couldn't restrain himself. "We do?" he muttered. Sakura kicked his shins. _Hard.__ "Ow! Godammit!"_

     "In the mean time, "the man continued, ignoring the outburst, "you'll be staying in the cabins we have prepared for those participating in the tournament."

_     The tournament? _Naruto frowned. So many things had been happening that the tournament had slipped his mind. _And it's only time for the second round...gee, I wonder how much more trouble we can get into before all this is over?_

****

     Hikaru's condition seemed to go from bad to worse as the twins raced towards the hospital. The venom's torturing sting had intensified, and it was all the half conscious boy could do not to scream in pain as Kyote held him more tightly. Then a blur of confused senses clouded over him, and the boy found it hard to speak.

     "N-niisama...? Where...am...I?"

     "Stay quiet, Hikaru." The voice was Shinzuko's. "We're going to the hospital."

     "What-" The boy was interrupted by a fit of coughing, and it was then that Hikaru realized just how serious his own condition was. His body was shivering; shivering and sweating. The snakebite he had received was throbbing painfully.

     The last thing the light haired boy remembered before passing out was his oldest brother talking to someone.

****

     "Will he be all right, Kaasama?" Kyote demanded of his mother as soon as he got the chance.

     Ryuuchi Natsuko glanced down to where Hikaru lay in his hospital bed, his body convulsing uncontrollably. "We've done all we could, Kyote," she said softly. "But the pain's getting worse...and I'm not so sure now..."

     Hikaru's eyes snapped open. Kyote winced at the sight of the boy's unseeing, glazed-over stare. Even with all the beeping machines around him, it was getting hard for the boy to inhale, and he was choking for every breath. Every now and then, he whimpered in pain, tears coming to his eyes although he didn't cry.

     "Mom? Did he really run away?" Shinzuko asked after a moment.

     Natsuko's eyes grew distant. "Yes, he did." She frowned. "I shouldn't have yelled at him..."

     "Kakashi and the others are waiting." Kyote glanced towards the waiting room of the emergency ward. "And now we have the Konoha shinobi to explain things to. You coming, Kaasama?"

     "No." The dark haired woman shook her head. "I'm going home to get your sister. With all the work we need to finish now...I'll need some help."

****

     "Five cells from your lands...and then the seven from the Ryuuchi families." Kyote frowned as he examined the incomplete diagram that marked the tournament's progress. The others listened closely as they ate dinner. "The day after tomorrow, the second round will be held."

     Naruto peered over his shoulder, frowning at the unfamiliar symbols. "What kind of language is _that?" he wondered aloud._

     "The language of our clan," Shinzuko explained around a mouthful of food. "It's close to kanji, so it should be easy for you to learn."

     "Oh." Naruto was so involved in examining the chart that he forgot all about the bowl of ramen on the table before him. "Who are we competing against, Kyote?"

     "Dolphin family." The younger twin pointed to Konohagakure's place on the flow chart. His hand faltered as it passed over the Dolphin symbol. _Hikaru..._

     Noticing this, the blond haired boy reached down, uncertainly squeezing Kyote's hand. The teenager flinched slightly at the unexpected contact, and blue-gray eyes met cerulean ones.

     "Don't worry," Naruto whispered softly. "Kyo-_chan." For an instant, the blond shinobi smirked and Kyote nodded._

     Thanks, Naruto.

`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~

Kani: I have one question for this fic's reviewers. What's the Japanese word for ox? I'll be learning Japanese next school year (I'm home schooled), but until then, Spanish is my second-best language. Thanks.

Naruto: *reads chapter* Ten pages! A new record!

Sakura: *writes record in _Kani's__ Book of Records* Very good._

Kani: Next chapter will have the tourney's second round. See ya later! ^_~


	8. The Tournament: Second Round

Kanimoto: Okay, this time I'm not even going to TRY making excuses for not updating sooner! I suck at updating, and I would be pleased if you would remember that!

*crickets*

Kani: And gomen nasai if this chapter is rather crappy...I was NOT in a writing mood when I wrote it...

Anywayz, read and review!!!

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     "Do you know how to swim, Naruto?"

     The question was posed tauntingly from Shinzuko as they ate breakfast the next morning.

     Where did they eat breakfast? In a huge mess hall, where the cells from the Ryuuchi clan's seven families were also eating. Team Seven sat a table in the corner—away from the others.

     "'Course I know how to swim!" Naruto retorted defensively over the chatter of shinobi at other tables. "I swam back home! Remember, Kakashi-sensei?"

     Kakashi leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "If you're talking about the time I tested your balance and swimming abilities by having you walk across the lake on a rope, and you fell in and thrashed like a harpooned whale, and I had to rescue you and administer artificial respiration...then _yes."_

     Sakura burst out laughing, while Sasuke and Shinzuko snickered. Kyote couldn't help smirking.

     "You should've seen him," Sakura managed between giggles. "He was-"

     "Shut up!" Naruto yelled suddenly. Grabbing three star-shaped shuriken, he leaped up, almost overturning the table as he lunged for his teacher.

     Smiling under his mask, Kakashi easily caught the blond haired boy's wrist, working the shuriken from his hand.

     "Calm down, Naruto," he said calmly, tucking the blades back into the young shinobi's holster and placing him back in his seat. "We're supposed to be eating."

     Several genin from other tables turned to snicker. Literally blowing steam from his ears, a red-faced Naruto slumped low in his seat. _Sensei...I'll get you..._

     "After we eat...I'm going to the hospital to see how Hikaru's doing," Shinzuko said after a moment. Immediately, the previous good mood of Team Seven was forgotten as they remembered their horror at seeing the Cobra Guardian.

     Naruto stared unseeingly into his bowl. He knew that if Hikaru died, it would be his fault since the Konoha shinobi hadn't moved fast enough.

_     Okay...so maybe it _isn't _my fault, _the blond haired shinobi reconsidered. _But I still feel bad about it..._

****

     "Hikaru? You awake?"

     The albino turned his head, letting a slight smile cross his face. "Hey...Shinzu-san," he whispered.

     Shinzuko scowled with concern. "You feeling better? Kaasama said that the medicine took effect faster than it was supposed to..."

     "I know..." Blue eyes dropped to the sheets. "Where's the team you're serving as a jônin for, niisama? Y'know...Team Seven?"

     "They've gone on ahead to start their training. If we had gotten here on time...we wouldn't have had to rush." The black haired teenager kept his gaze on the ground.

     "Who's Team Seven competing against?" Hikaru asked softly.

     "Eh?" Shinzuko raised his eyes. "Team Iruka. Why?"

     "B-but wasn't _I supposed to be on that team?" Frowning, the light haired prodigy sat up. "I was part of this year's graduating Dolphin class!"_

     "Calm down." The young jônin lay a hand on the boy's forehead. "Kaasama and the other doctors said you're still not strong enough to fight."

     "No!" Panic crossed Hikaru's face and his chest heaved. "But I wanted to be part of this! It's what I was doing all that extra training for! And the tournament's supposed to be the time for graduating Ryuuchi genin to see just how good they are!"

_     True...all true. This competition _was_ created to test the new graduates... Shinzuko sighed. Unlike Kyote, he wasn't gentle enough to change his adopted brother's mind. "I'm sorry, Hikaru, but you _can't _be in the tournament this year! Do you understand?"_

     Seeing that his niisama was annoyed with having to deal with this, Hikaru glared at his hands. "No," he muttered finally.

     "What?" Shinzuko grabbed the boy's shoulders. "You're still sick from the poison, Hikaru! What part of 'can't' _don't _you understand?!"

     "The part where I come in, that's what!" The boy genius' eyes flamed. He grabbed his older sibling's gloved hand, squeezing hard. "I want to graduate with my class, Shinzu-san, and I'm not letting go until you let me compete with my team tomorrow!"

     "No! I don't want you to get hurt anymore!"

     "I'm not letting go, niisama." The albino tightened his fingers around the young jônin's hand.

     Shinzuko grimaced. Hikaru had a death grip. "Look kid...it's not my decision to make." _Squeeze. "But—ow!—I'll talk to Kaasama about it! All right?"_

     Hikaru glared at the teen skeptically. "...okay..."

     "So can you let go of my hand now?"

****

     "For the first round, Team Seven of Konoha Village and Team Iruka shall compete!"

     "Good luck," Kyote said as the three genin got to their feet and started down the small hill.

     "Yeah," added Shinzuko, although his voice was more sarcastic. "Good luck."

     The three members of Team Iruka were waiting down in the valley below. For some strange reason they all—including Hikaru—looked bored. Sasuke noticed this.

     "They don't think we'll put up that much of a fight," he said almost to himself.

     Naruto silently agreed, but before he could reply, the call came to begin.

     "Ha!" As expected, the first attack Team Iruka used was a torrent of shuriken.

     "Get _down!" Sasuke ordered, and the others hastened to obey._

     While the three of Team Seven were on the ground, Hikaru made his move.

     "Dolphin Style! Water Manipulation!"

     "Gah!" Naruto rolled away as a tower of water gushed up from the ground itself. Hikaru held out his hands, still making the sign of the Dolphin, and the water slammed into the three genin. Shinzuko scowled when he saw this.

     "Not one minute into the second round...and our team's already on the defensive," he noted.

     Tempers flared within Team Seven. _I'm gonna get you…_ Naruto thought angrily as he loaded his hands with shuriken and began running towards Team Iruka. Sasuke clenched his fists.

     "No, Naruto!" he yelled. "Wait!" But it was too late. The second member of Team Iruka, Kasui, was preparing his attack.

     He made several unfamiliar signs before calling, "Ice of the Dolphin!"

     It was amazing how the technique appeared. A blinding flash of light, and then Naruto was slipping on ice. He hit his head hard, and his shuriken fell from limp hands.

     Like a dart, Kasui skimmed across the ice and drew his harpoon. "Let's get one down!"

     "No way!" Sasuke started forward. _Breath__ of the Fireball Technique!_

_     Heat? _Kasui spun, causing himself to lose his balance and tumble in the path of the fire technique.

     Rikiei, the third member of the Dolphin cell chose this time to intervene. "Water Style! Displacement!"

     Before Sasuke knew what was happening, the Fireball technique he had used was exchanged for water. It splashed down harmlessly around the six shinobi.

_     Damn!_

     Naruto painfully climbed to his feet. _Oh no. Oh...no, no...no..._ The boy froze as he saw Kasui's harpoon poised to strike above him.

     A well-aimed shuriken caught the unsuspecting Iruka shinobi in his arm. Kasui spun and dropped his weapon, clutching his bleeding arm.

_     Thank you, Sakura...! _Naruto used the chance to pounce. He forced the younger boy to the ground, pinning his arms behind his back. With his free hand, the blond haired boy drew a knife shuriken and held it against Kasui's neck.

_     No way! We haven't lost yet... _"Kasui!" Hikaru shouted. "Bunshin no jutsu!" Immediately, six doppelgangers of the light haired prodigy appeared on the field. Naruto's eyes widened.

     You're _into doppelgangers too...?_

     The seven Hikaru clones drew a handful of something...

     "Naruto can't handle them alone!" Sakura reminded Sasuke. "What're we waiting for?"

     "You go on and help Naruto," Sasuke said quietly. "I have a plan."

     "Huh?" But Sasuke had vanished with speed. Not knowing what else to do, Sakura created six of her own doppelgangers and ordered three of them to attack Hikaru's. She realized that the stuff in the boy's hands was...blinding powder...?

     "Now, Hikaru!" Rikiei urged. "Do it..._now!"_

     "Heh..." The instant Hikaru threw the powder, a violent flow of water surged down over him, ruining the sandy material he had thrown. "N-no!"

     Sasuke lightly dropped to the ground before him. He grinned slightly. "So _that's the Deluge of the Dolphin..." His hands made several other signs at blinding speed. "Let's see if I can do this technique...!" __Dolphin Style! Toxic Water!_

     It was over in seconds. Liquid tons of black water spurted up from the ground, flooding over Hikaru, Rikiei, and Kasui. Naruto jumped clear of the stuff before it could touch him.

     "N-not bad, Sasuke," he ventured when he could breathe. The black haired boy waved a hand.

     "Forget it."

     "How'd you do those techniques?" Sakura asked as Team Iruka got to their feet.

     A sudden darkness clouded gray eyes. "I..." Sasuke's voice trailed off. "I'll tell you later."

     Before Sakura could press the matter further, their opponents attacked.

_     Ox! Hawk! Dolphin! _Hikaru, Kasui, and Rikiei raised their hands in the sign of the Dolphin. _Iruka_ Style! Three-Pronged Attack!__

     Sakura quickly retaliated as the three-fold assault came down upon them. She flashed the signs of the Cobra, Hawk, Tiger...before stopping at the Dragon sign. _Ryuu__ Style! One Thousand Flames!_

     "Wah!" A wall of fire shot before Team Seven, so great that it consumed Team Iruka's technique and burned them, too.

     Kyote's eyes widened slightly as he saw this. _I didn't remember Sakura having so much power..._

     His thought was echoed by Sasuke and Naruto as the inferno vanished, leaving Team Iruka badly beaten.

     "H-how'd...you do that?" Naruto demanded when he regained control of his vocal chords.

     Sakura grinned. "I've been practicing!" _And now that I'm getting better, maybe Sasuke will like me..._

     "The first round goes to Team Seven!"


	9. The Tournament: Semifinals—Capture The F...

Kani: I sincerely apologize for not updating sooner. I'm just plain lazy and finished with my Naruto craze (okay, so maybe I _do still love Sasuke and Inari), so updates will probably be few and far between. =P_

This chapter sucks, I firmly believe. If you find any mistakes, it's because I wrote it in a hurry. (Well, not really; I haven't updated for ages...!!!!)

Next chapter contains graphic yaoi, just to let you know.

Anyway:

HAPPY NEW YEAR, PEEPS!!!!!!

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     "You got a cool house, Kyote," Naruto said as he entered the older shinobi's bedroom. "Oy, and you also got a cool room!"

     The young jounin nodded. "So you like?"

     "Hai." Naruto pointed at the wolf and fox painting on the wall opposite the door. "Did you...paint that?"

     Kyote nodded. "Three years ago, when I was eleven."

     "Sugoi!" Naruto looked at it more closely. The wolf was shining silver, and the fox was auburn...and it reminded Naruto of the fox he had seen in the forest (see Chapter 2 for details). Both were locked in fierce combat. "Why these two animals?"

     Like the clouds obscuring the sun, Kyote's expression darkened. "The wolf symbolizes my family." He moved to the wall and gently traced the two figures etched on it. "The fox was...something else."

     "What?" Naruto prodded.

     "Something else," was all the teenager would say.

     Seeing that the conversation was going nowhere, Naruto moved away from the painted wall. It was then that he saw the picture of the man he recalled seeing in Kyote's apartment back in Konohagakure (see Chap 3). "Hey, Kyote?"

     "Yeah?" The teenager's head snapped up, as if he was waking from a trance.

     Naruto indicated the picture. "What's...I mean, _who's _this?"

     Kyote came over to where his friend stood. "That's Shiretsu," he muttered softly. "My father. He died when Shinzuko and I were nine."

     Naruto frowned. "Then who was that man we met outside?" he asked hesitantly. "You called him your tousan." Somehow the boy knew he was treading on dangerous ground. "The guy in the picture doesn't look like him."

     "Exactly. I just told you." The black haired ninja picked up the small picture, staring expressionlessly at it. "My real father is _dead. That was my stepfather Takahiro you met...the one who doesn't care that Shinzuko and I __exist."_

     For some reason, Naruto felt a stab of empathy for his junior teacher. He opened his mouth to speak, but swiftly changed his mind as Kyote replaced the picture on his dresser.

     "Let's finish training with the others, Naruto," he said, quietly but commandingly. "I...don't want to talk about this anymore. Besides," the teenager added as the two left the room, "I don't think the Cobra Family's cell will be so easy to beat. It _is _the semifinals, after all..."

****

     To advance to the finals, the two teams—Team Seven and Team Kobura—had to play a more difficult version of Capture the Flag.

     "The game is simple," the referee explained. "Each team possesses a hill, or 'land'. Team Seven has Kaji Hill, and Team Kobura has Getsui Hill. Between these territories is the no-man's-land of Shinrin Valley. There is a flag atop each hill. The object of the game is to capture your opponents' flag and safely return it to your hill, and the first team to do so wins."

     Naruto smirked. "Ha! Piece of cake!"

     "Be quiet, Naruto," Sakura snapped.

     The referee continued as if he hadn't heard. "But remember. While going after your opponents' flag, you shouldn't forget to protect your own."

     One of the boys of Team Kobura, a quiet-looking red haired kid named Jadoku spoke up. "Are there any rules about what weapons we're allowed to use?"

     Frowning, the referee consulted a small scroll from the pouch around his waist. "Iie," he replied after a moment. "Anything goes."

     For some reason, the smirk on Jadoku's face made Naruto uncomfortable.

****

     Three blurred shapes flitted from tree to tree as they made their way through the valley. Suddenly, the black haired boy shot out a hand. The other two instantly stopped.

     "Why're we stopping, Sasuke?" Sakura asked quietly.

     "Quiet." Sasuke drew a knife shuriken from its holster. "Someone's coming this way." He dropped to the ground. "Get down." Sakura and Naruto did as he said, and then they heard it—the faint crackle of leaves as someone rustled from tree to tree. Within a few minutes, Jadoku swung into view. He was leisurely making his way across the valley, not seeming to care that he was acting carelessly.

     "I can take care of this one," Sakura offered softly as Jadoku boisterously went by.

     "All right." Sasuke whispered back. "I'll try for the flag." He moved into a crouch. "And Naruto...I think you should stay here."

     Before Naruto could object, the black haired genin was gone.

****

     "You all right, Kyote?"

     The black haired jounin was sitting with his back against Team Seven's flagpole. He twirled a star shuriken around one finger as he replied. "Of course," Kyote replied, sounding slightly puzzled. "Why not, Shinzu-san?"

     "You don't seem yourself." Shinzuko came to stand beside his brother. "What is it?"

     Kyote flicked the shuriken against a nearby tree, thoughtfully watching as the blade buried itself in the trunk. "It's nothing." The teenager stood to retrieve his shuriken, but his twin stepped before him.

     "You're thinking about Father, aren't you?"

_     Damn... _"No!" Kyote scowled. "Why the hell would I be thinking about that...that _bastard?"_

     Shinzuko clenched his fists, something he often inadvertently did while arguing. "I know you don't think of him that way," he rasped quietly but sharply. "You and I loved Father...in the same way you love Naruto." At Kyote's stunned glance, the elder twin triumphantly continued. "I've seen the way you look at him, Kyote, I've seen the way you interact with him. It's the same way Father used to look at us before he—"

     "Be quiet!" Kyote turned away in disgust. He began rubbing his forehead. "It's not that. I just...have a headache..."

     "Really?" Shinzuko twirled a star shuriken around one finger. "How long has it been since Father died? Four years? Five? And how long have you hankered after that yaro Naruto? Ever since we first met him! No, I won't deny that he seems to like you too, but he killed Father, for Kami's sake!"

     "How many times have I told you that Naruto is _not _the demon fox?" Kyote grit his teeth, trying to ignore the tears that filled his eyes. "How many?"

     "Too many times." There was a heated pause in which Kyote fought to keep from weeping. Shinzuko took a deep breath, not wanting to agitate the younger one further since he hated seeing Kyote cry. He placed his hands on his twin's shoulders, clutching gently. "Listen to me, Kyo-chan. I'm your older sibling...remember when I promised to protect you?" The red and black haired teen nodded. "What did I say?"

     "You said that you'd never do anything to hurt me, and that you'd never let _me do anything to hurt myself," the younger shinobi muttered sullenly._

     Shinzuko frowned. "Exactly," he said softly. "I know I'm sounding like Kaasama now, but Naruto is going to hurt you...no matter how much you may love each other."

     Kyote clenched his teeth. "I don't believe you, Shinzu-san," he muttered stubbornly.

     The elder Ryuuchi twin straightened, a look of consternation crossing his face. "You leave me no choice, then."

     Glancing questioningly at his brother, Kyote arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he demanded warily.

     "Naruto—or, as you say, the demon fox—took away my chance to become great. He ruined Father, and he ruined me." Shinzuko's voice tightened audibly. "If you don't stop trying to make him love you...I'm going to ruin _him."_

     The shorter jounin absentmindedly reached for his shuriken. "Do that and I will kill you."

     Another tense silence.

     For some reason, Shinzuko began to laugh, a piercing yet husky sound.

     "I'd like to see you try, Kyo-chan," he snarled, all amicability long gone. "I'd really like to see you try."

****

_     This is ridiculous, _Naruto mentally fumed. _I wanted to be the one to bring back the flag! Why does Sasuke always _have _to play hero and do the best stuff?_

_     Why am I listening to him, anyway?_

     "Naruto!" Sakura hissed over her shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?"

     The blond haired genin sat back on his heels. "Whaddya think?" he snapped back. "I'm going to get the flag!"

     "But Sasuke already said he'd get it!"

     "And I'm supposed to believe that he will?" Naruto straightened. "See ya in a little bit."

     "But-" Sakura rolled her eyes as the orange-clad shinobi disappeared from view. _Why am I even trying __to change his mind? Shaking her head and muttering under her breath about how stubborn boys were, the rose haired girl continued in the direction Jadoku had gone._

     The red haired boy had left an easy-to-follow trail; Sakura had no problem tracking him. She was slightly uneasy about this since it made her suspect that Jadoku had _meant _for her to follow him, but Sasuke had told her what to do, and Sakura wasn't about to disobey.

     She found him standing in a small clearing, staring in the direction of Team Seven's flag.

_     Well, now's as good a time as any... _Drawing two star-shaped shuriken, Sakura leaped from her hiding place as high as she could, throwing the blades at the peak of her jump. To her surprise, Jadoku not only caught the shuriken, but also sent them spinning back at Sakura and forced her to jump back further.

     "No way!" Sakura muttered as she landed. "He's just as fast as Master Kakashi!"

     Jadoku smirked. "I'm glad to hear that." His fingers executed a complicated set of signs, and before Sakura had time to react, she couldn't move.

     "Pretty cool, ne?" With one hand still making the sign of the Snake, the red haired boy sauntered up to her and tapped on the invisible barrier surrounding Sakura. "A prison of chakra." He smirked again. "Don't worry. When I leave, the chakra will disperse since I won't have any control over it, but by that time it won't matter, anyway."

     "What are you talking about?" the rose haired girl couldn't help demanding as she frantically racked her brain for a way to escape.

     "My two teammates have probably already found Sasuke and Naruto." Jadoku turned to go. "It wasn't smart for Naruto to leave you to fight me alone." Suddenly, he spun, letting loose a huge barrage of knife-shuriken. Sakura managed to wrench her body to one side as the weapons hurtled towards her, but the chakra prison effectively held her in place.

     Jadoku leaped away, ignoring Sakura's cries as the girl was stabbed in several places with the shuriken. She went limp and clenched her teeth, the pain worsening as she did so.

_     This is all Naruto's fault! _her inner voice grumbled.

_     I wonder if this is what it feels like to die...?_

****

     Naruto willed himself to go faster as he sped in the direction Sasuke had gone. _Oh, shit... He caught his foot on a tree branch and fell all of ten feet to the ground, somehow managing to land upright. The blond haired boy immediately seized the opportunity to catch his breath._

     "Jeez," he complained to the trees. "You'd think I would've found that show-off by now!"

     Suddenly, the black haired genin himself sprang from the underbrush and yanked Naruto back down beside him. All sorts of dirty thoughts as to why Sasuke had done this were banished when he hissed in Naruto's ear, "I heard that. Now why didn't you go with Sakura?"

     "Because you're not a jounin! I don't have to listen to you!" the blond haired boy retorted. "And why'd you jump me like that?"

     "Shh!" Pressing a finger to his lips, the Uchiha boy tipped his head in the direction of a nearby path. Naruto followed his gaze.

     Two of Team Kobura's three members were standing there, staring straight at Naruto and Sasuke. The black haired boy groaned.

     "Thanks to _you they know where we are..." He got to his feet. "Let's get these two."_

     Without thinking (as usual), Naruto brought two fingers to his face. _Art of the Doppelganger!_

     A twin of himself appeared beside him. Yelling wildly, the two Narutos charged the Cobra cell members...and found themselves hitting empty air. Sasuke sighed.

_     I was going to tell him that they were only illusions, but _no...

     "Huh?" Naruto spun, his blue eyes searching the surrounding trees. "Where'd they go?"

     "Right here!" The two leaped on Naruto from behind, wrestling him to the ground. Instantly, Sasuke acted.

_     Shinzuko taught me this technique..._ He drew a knife-shuriken and grit his teeth, willing nearly all of his chakra into the shuriken. Then he made two quick signs. _Dragon! Wolf!_

     The knife began to glow and warm.

     _I hope this works... "Naruto!"_

     Naruto saw what was happening "Got it!" the blond haired boy shouted, concentrating his chakra inwards before releasing it in one blast. The Cobra cell boys were thrown back and knocked half-senseless, which gave Sasuke more time to finish his technique.

_     Come on..._ The shuriken was red-hot now, but the boys were quickly recovering. One of them saw what Sasuke was doing.

     "Nonaka, you're stronger than me...stop him!" he shouted.

     Immediately, Nonaka slipped several star shuriken from their holsters and threw them with deadly accuracy.

     "Sasuke!" Weak from using most of his chakra, Naruto could barely raise his head, but when he saw the trouble his teammate was in, an unusual power surged through him. And a familiar voice spoke in his ear.

_     Do you need any help, Naruto?_

     Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The blond haired genin scowled. _Go away, he mentally replied, obviously not in the mood to argue with the demon fox._

_     But you want to help your friend Sasuke, do you not?_

_     I'm busy now...could you bother me later? _Under any other circumstances, Naruto would have laughed as he thought this. _And he's not__ my friend!_

     Ally,_ then. Perfect! Naruto could almost __see the fox's grin. __I'll make a deal with you. I'll lend you some of my power to beat Nonaka if you promise to release me later._

     Naruto had already deflected Nonaka's shuriken with his own and was already on his feet, running to head the Cobra boy off before he reached Sasuke. He could feel his heart thrashing in his chest like a wild animal. _Whatever you say, he muttered, too distracted to realize what he was saying as he and Nonaka clashed. _Just give me enough power to stop these guys so Sasuke can finish his technique!__

_     As you wish!_

     An abrupt rush of chakra to Naruto's body nearly threw him off his feet. "Sugoi!" With renewed energy, the young genin easily beat of each of Nonaka's attacks, laughing maniacally at the feel of his newfound chakra.

     Meanwhile, Sasuke had collected nearly all of his chakra into his shuriken. He felt the heat beneath his palms and grinned. 

_     It's time..._

     "Hawk Style!" the black haired boy shouted raising his knife shuriken straight up. "Art of the Searing Blades!"

     Suddenly, it seemed to be raining glowing knives. Both Naruto and Sasuke had to take cover in a nearby tree to avoid being hit.

     "All right!" Naruto straightened when he realized that the two boys were unconscious from the heat. "That was easy." He glanced at Sasuke. "I'm going to get the flag."

     "No way!" The black haired boy nearly punched his teammate from the tree. "I was the one who first set out to get it, and get it I will do!"

     But before either genin could say anything further, a recognizable voice called up to them. "Looking for this, guys?"

     It was Sakura. She was holding Team Kobura's flag.

_     "Daaamn..."_ Naruto swung easily down from his perch and came to stand beside the girl, his eyes full of admiration. "How'd you get it, Saku-chan? And what _happened_ to you?!"

     Sakura moved slightly away from him. "Remember Jadoku, the one I was tracking?" She sighed. "Well, let's just say that he beat me first, but then I got him back."

     "What did you do?" Sasuke asked, sounding slightly interested.

     Sakura shook her head. "It's a long story." She grinned. "But thanks for distracting those guys long enough for me to capture the flag."


	10. Losing

WARNING:

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GRAPHIC YAOI RAPE. IF YOU ARE REPULSED, SICKENED, REVOLTED, DISGUSTED, APPALLED, NAUSEATED, OR OTHERWISE DISTURBED BY YAOI, SHOUNEN-AI, AND FICS OF THAT NATURE, THEN DO NOT READ.

You have been warned. ^_^ Y'know, I'm _really glad that I'm almost finished this fic; it's starting to go stale in my opinion._

`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`

     The city restaurant underwent as serious ramen shortage that night. Team Seven had gone there to celebrate (and because Naruto had heard they had the best ramen to be found), and they were just leaving, much to the manager's relief.

     "That..." Naruto licked his lips. "...was the _best _ramen that has ever had the privilege of being swallowed by me!"

     Sakura scoffed under her breath. _Privilege?__ her inner self snorted. "That's funny, Naruto," she said aloud._

     While the two genin proceeded to bicker, Sasuke gave Kakashi a meaningful glance.

     "I'm going back to my room," he said. "See you all tomorrow...for the final round."

     "Yeah, I'm going back to my room," Sakura chimed in. "Goodnight, guys!"

     "Goodnight, Sakura," Naruto replied dreamily. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

     "C'mon, it's time for us to rest for tomorrow, too." Kakashi inclined his head. "Oyasumi nasai." He extended the index and middle fingers of both hands and clasped his hands together.

     And in a puff of smoke, the jounin was gone. Naruto arched an eyebrow. "I wish I knew how he did that..."

****

_     Well?_

     Naruto untied his hitai-ate headband and laid it on the nightstand beside his bed, firmly making up his mind to ignore the voice of the demon fox that was becoming harder to withstand.

_     Don't act as if you don't hear me, Naruto,_ the fox said angrily. _Remember your promise?_

     The blond haired boy bit his lip. He remembered fully, but had hoped that the fox wouldn't. Again he heard those hastily-spoken words...

_     Whatever you say._ _Just give me enough power to stop these guys so Sasuke can finish his technique!_

     "Dammit!" Naruto muttered to himself. "Why can't I ever _slow down for once?"_

     A sharp pain stabbed into the back of his head, making him yelp. _I'm waiting, Naruto._

_     No._

_     I could force my way out, as you should know. You wouldn't want_ that _to happen, now would you?_

_     No!_

_     Naruto..._

     "Naruto?"

     The boy's head snapped up. "What?" he snapped, startled by the audible (rather than mental) sound of his name. Then he saw who was watching him.

     Ryuuchi Shinzuko stood in the doorway. Naruto made a face. "What the hell do you want, bakayarou?"

     For some reason, Kyubi was strangely quiet.

     "Only to congratulate you on advancing to the final round," Shinzuko replied simply. "Not many people of my clan thought that Team Seven would get very far."

     "And you're one of them," Naruto surmised. He wasn't liking how Shinzuko was watching at him...

     "I _was," the jounin corrected. "But something happened that changed my mind. And do you know why, Naru...__kun_?"__

     "Why?"

     Shinzuko opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it and said something else. "Come with me to my room, Naruto."

****

     "I know that you like Kyote, Naruto, and that he likes you," he said as they walked from Naruto's room and across the expanse of grass separating it from Shinzuko's home. "But if you want to be with him, there are some things you should know."

     In spite of himself, Naruto was interested. "Like...?"

     Shinzuko smirked, glad that the younger one couldn't see his expression in the dark. "Kyote isn't a virgin. And, for the record, neither am I."

     The blond haired boy clenched his fists. "That does it, then! I was starting to like Kyote, even if he _is _gay, but..." He thought for a moment. "Why aren't you...virgins?"

     "Because of our father." The elder twin paused in mid-step. "Has Kyote spoken at all to you about him?"

     Naruto shrugged, not knowing why he suddenly felt comfortable around Shinzuko. "Some, but only because I asked about the picture he had."

     "All right." Shinzuko continued walking. "Our father Shiretsu was always a strict man. When Kyote and I were small, before Hikaru and Takara were born, he used to beat us for the stupidest things. But something happened to him after the fight with the demon fox." Naruto frowned as he listened. "He seemed...older, more ruthless. Father spent more time then ever training us after that; I have the scars to prove it. But then he took to..._molesting _us...and Kyote suffered from it.

     Naruto looked up at Shinzuko. "Didn't you?" he muttered.

     "To tell you the truth..._no."_ The jounin opened a side door to his mansion and motioned Naruto to step inside. "My room's this way."

     "And why not?"

     Shinzuko shrugged. "I don't know...maybe I was born insensitive." Naruto glanced sharply at him and realized he was joking.

     "Kyote doesn't remember much of what happened then—probably because he suppressed those memories—but I do. Father beat him the most since he was weak for his age. That's one of the reasons why his chakra's so low. It's been permanently stunted by all the stuff Father did. Kyote hated him then.

     "After Father killed himself, though, Kyote saw that he missed him, and that he respected him...and that without his father's guidance, we were going through pure _hell..." Shinzuko scowled, enraged at the memories. "That's why Kyote says he loves Father."_

~Flashback~

_     "Kyote...I have some bad news."_

_     The black haired boy stared at her with blue-gray eyes seemingly sharpened on steel. "Yes, Kaasama?"_

_     Kyote's mother Natsuko sighed, glancing at the boy's older twin, who nodded. "I'll tell him, Mom." Shinzuko swallowed hard. "Kyote...Father's dead."_

_     "Wh-what?"_

_     "We found him in his room with...a knife...stabbed directly through his heart," Natsuko put in. "It appears that he committed suicide, since his fingerprints were the only ones found on the shuriken."_

     What is this?_ Kyote thought, puzzled and angry. Why is Kaasama talking about Father...as if he was "just another casualty"? __Without another word, he tried to run but Shinzuko caught him and held him back._

_     "Stay here, Kyo-kun," he said huskily._

_     "Let go! Let me go!" The smaller boy drew back and kicked his brother. Kicked harder than he ever had in his life. Then he turned and tore down the hall, ignoring his mother and bursting into his father's room. Crying. "Father, you _can't _be dead! Wake up...please!"_

_     But it was true; Ryuuchi Shiretsu's death was all too true. Covered in a black shroud, his body lay cold and pale on his bed. A black cloth hid his eyes. Kyote stared, taking in the sight in shock. Then he began screaming._

_     "You lied to me, Father! You said you'd always be here...to teach me all you knew! But you died!" The boy began kicking the bed frame. "I hate you! I hate you!!"_

_     Suddenly he realized what he was doing; realized where he was. Kyote thought back to all the times his father had beaten him, recalled all the times Shiretsu had raped him, remembered each time his father had cut into him...and a tornado of sickening dizziness washed over him. Kyote turned swiftly away and threw up, was sicker than he had ever been in his life. His chest hurt, his stomach hurt, his throat hurt...and he wished he could die._

_     But in the midst of the gray fog of nausea and vertigo in which Kyote nearly blacked out, the trembling boy felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around his waist, holding him tightly. Kyote's eyes snapped open and he choked. Chills raced through his body and the boy was shivering uncontrollably._

_     "Calm down, Kyo-chan," a familiar voice rasped in his ear. "It's me."_

_     "Sh-Shinzu-san..." The black haired boy wilted under Shinzuko's firm grasp. "Father..." He sniffled, resting his head on his brother's shoulder as the older one helped him out of the room._

_     "Don't worry, Kyote," Shinzuko said quietly. "It'll be okay."_

_     "No..." Kyote moaned as his brother lowered him onto the younger twin's bed. "Everything will never be okay."_

~End Flashback~

     "Kyote tried to kill himself after that," Shinzuko continued softly. "I later told him that everyone thought he'd gone crazy." He put a hand to his head. "I think he still is." Naruto kept his mouth shut, waiting for the teenager to continue. "My mother decided to get married again soon after that, but..."

~Flashback~

_     "Shinzuko, Kyote, Takara, Hikaru..." Natsuko smiled, her voice nervous. "I'd like you to meet your new father. Takahiro."_

_     Shinzuko, Takara, and Hikaru all bowed respectfully to the man. But Kyote only scowled._

_     "How can _you _be my father?" he hissed. "My father is dead."_

_     "Kyote!" Natsuko and the man exchanged worried glances. "Excuse me for a moment." She grasped his arm, half-pulling, half-dragging the black haired boy out of the room and into the hall. Kyote resisted at first, then followed silently. He knew he was in for a lecture._

_     And he was right. When Natsuko turned on him, her face was livid._

_     "You _really_ need to grow up and_ stop_ it with these stupid tantrums," she said angrily. "Why can't you learn to behave!"_

_     "How am I supposed to behave when you are replacing Father?" Kyote spat._

_     "Listen, Kyote, I want you, Shinzuko, Hikaru, and Takara to grow up with _both _your parents. Takahiro can give you what I, as a single mother, can't!" Natsuko grabbed the boy by the shoulders and shook him hard. "Do you understand what you just did in there?"_

_     Kyote clenched his fists. "How can _he _take Father's place," he muttered angrily. "Just tell me that!"_

_     "I already told you! He can give you what I can't!" Natsuko's voice took on a pleading note. "Just try to behave...for your stepfather, all right? Just promise me that!" There was a tense silence. Kyote stared at the smooth wood floor._

_     "I can't do that," he whispered after a moment. "I can't promise." The black haired boy raised his head, exposing tear-filled eyes. "I hate him, Mom."_

_     "But-"_

_     "Leave me _alone!"_ Kyote pulled away from his mother, went to his room, and slammed and locked the door._

_     His twin forced the lock some time later. He came over to Kyote, who was curled up on his bed. Just crying._

_     "That was a pretty dumb thing to do, y'know," Shinzuko said after a moment. "Kaasama's really mad about what you said about Father."_

_     More tears pooled in Kyote's blue-gray eyes. "He's not Father, Shinzu-san," he sniffled. "Father's dead." The boy stiffened as his older twin lay a hand on his shoulder._

_     "I know that, Kyo-chan," Shinzuko said softly. "And I know something else."_

_     Kyote squeezed his eyes shut more tightly. "Wh-what?"_

_     The older boy sighed. "You were right," he whispered shakily. "Everything will never be okay."_

~End Flashback~

     "And it hasn't been," Shinzuko finished. "Our life has just gotten worse and worse." He stopped walking. "Here we are."

     Naruto entered the large room and glanced apprehensively at his surroundings as Shinzuko locked the door. "Why were you telling me all of that stuff?" he demanded warily, suddenly feeling uneasy. "And why'd you bring me _here...Shinzuko?" The teenager didn't reply._

     In one smooth motion, Shinzuko brought Naruto's lips to his own. The genin's eyes widened and he attempted to pull away, but the older boy used his weight to force Naruto onto his bed. The boy tried to suck in air, but all he got was the older shinobi's tongue. Finally, Shinzuko drew back.

     "Why did I bring you here?" He smiled. "Because I think I like you. And why did I tell you all of that stuff?" The teenager yanked off his headband. "Because I wanted you to know why Kyote acts the way he does, and why he's gay." Noticing a faint expression of anxiety on Naruto's face, he lightly fingered the younger one's cheek. "Are you afraid of me, little fox?" he questioned slyly.

     _How the fuck __did I get myself into this?! Naruto gritted his teeth. He knew the answer._ Because I don't stop to think._ "Hell, _no,"_ he snarled at Shinzuko, who raised his hand._

     The slap was surprisingly controlled, but still enough to twist a crick in his neck and fill his mouth with blood. "You will learn to fear me," the fourteen year old said quietly. "You'll learn or you will wish you had." He laughed to himself.

     Naruto spat blood in Shinzuko's face. "Sh-shut up, you fucking bastard!"

     "Well, at least you know why I brought you here. It's been too long since I've had a good fuck, my little koi," Shinzuko murmured, pulling off his shirt. Straddling the boy, he fervently kissed him again.

     This time, Naruto clamped down on Shinzuko's tongue. _Hard.___

     "Oy, you half-grown _spitfire!"_ the teenager hissed, his hand bruisingly meeting Naruto's face once again. A deep red welt spread over the boy's cheek.

     Determined to succeed, Shinzuko placed his lips over the blond haired boy's mouth a third time, kissing more abrasively than before. Naruto gagged as Shinzuko's tongue probed deeper into his mouth. _Shit..._

_     Get the hell out of my mouth! _He bit the older boy again.

     Shinzuko spat at him. "Y'know, you're making this real _hard, you bastard..." Angry that Naruto wasn't responding the way he wanted, the teenager squeezed his hands around the boy's neck, cutting off his air._

     Naruto struggled fiercely, but one cannot fight long without oxygen. _Especially if one is pinned down by a teenager twice his size. The boy suddenly felt tired as his oxygen-starved body began to slow and shut down._

_     No! No...I-I _can't _die! I just _can't!!

     Unexpectedly, Shinzuko released him after a few minutes and punched his stomach. Naruto coughed violently and felt acid rise in his throat, but all he hacked up was blood.

_     "Now _do you fear me?" Shinzuko hissed icily. His mood changes were becoming scary.

     Naruto didn't reply. He bit his lip to hold back his cries and threatening tears. Shinzuko deliberately took off his pants, rubbing the boy roughly through his clothes as he did so. In spite of himself, Naruto moaned with the thrill that came as he felt himself harden.

_     What am I doing?!_

     "S-stop it..." he managed, barely able to speak through the enjoyment that rushed through him. He wanted Shinzuko; he wanted the older shinobi to love him, he—

_     No! Why am I enjoying this?_

     The teenager drew a knife shuriken and cruelly caressed his face with the blade, leaving traces of crimson. "Don't say that, Naru-chan," he whispered breathlessly. "I know that you love this too much to stop." Shinzuko bent low, brushing his damp lips across the boy's forehead as he pushed up the younger shinobi's shirt and jacket. He was thoroughly pleased with Naruto's gasps as he sucked at the twelve year old's hardening nipples. Abruptly, Shinzuko bit down hard on Naruto's bare stomach, causing the boy cried out.

     "How does it feel to be bitten, little fox?" the teenager hissed with abrupt coldness. Naruto only let a tear make its way down his face. Shinzuko bit him again, this time on his neck. "Answer me!"

     "I-it-it...hurts..." Naruto panted. "Shinzuko..."

     The teenager snickered as he used his shuriken to slash off the younger boy's jacket and shirt, licking his lips at the torso he saw. "Take off your pants, Naruto," he ordered.

     "What? N-no...!" Naruto's protest was cut short as Shinzuko slammed his fist into his stomach again. The blond haired boy retched, choking up more blood and yelling in pain.

     "Do as I say!" the teenager shouted. His heart pounding fiercely, Naruto unwillingly pulled of his pants and boxers, hating the lust he saw hazing Shinzuko's sea-green eyes as his body was exposed.

     The black haired teenager pressed his body over the genin's again, letting Naruto feel his straining erection. Shinzuko ran a hand through the boy's spiky, yellow hair. "You have a beautiful body, my little kitsune," the teenager purred. He asked suddenly, "Do you want me to bite you again?"

     Naruto could bear it no longer. He sobbed aloud, his mood immediately becoming pleading. "Please. D-don't do it...Shinzu..."

     Shinzuko slipped low. "Well, I am." He took Naruto's arousal into his mouth. The boy let out a startled cry at the pulsating heat around his shaft. _What the hell-?_ Shinzuko was sucking on him. Naruto instinctively pushed his length further into the jounin's mouth. "Shinzuko...dammit, this feels good...but _stop__."_

     The teenager smirked as he listened, licking swift circles around Naruto's thrusting tip. _I told him I'd bite him again... _He slowly brought his teeth together.

     A sharp pain cut through Naruto and he screamed as he came. _"Why did you bite me again!?" he yelled as Shinzuko sat up._

     "Because you bit me twice." The teenager kissed him again, and Naruto tasted himself in the other's mouth. He groaned into Shinzuko's mouth inadvertently as the teenager's hands slid over his smooth skin and stroked his arousal. The boy wanted to break away and run, but for some reason he couldn't move.

     _Stop! Please...don't do any more! Please! Just STOP!_

     Shinzuko slowly broke the kiss. He licked away the tears and smirked. His eyes rested hungrily on Naruto's muscular chest shaking with sobs. The teenager stroked the boy's blond locks yet again. "You know what, kitsune-koi?" he murmured. "You are so _appealing when you cry."_

     The teenager kicked off his boxers with a sigh. He forced Naruto flat onto his back and moved between his legs. "Here we go, Naru-chan..." Drawing a deep, rasping breath, Shinzuko thrust harshly into the younger one.

     Naruto screamed, choking on blood as it gushed into his throat. Before he could recover, Shinzuko stabbed out again.

     "K-kami...you're so tight, Naru-chan..." the teenager moaned as he settled into the pattern of thrusting. "Maybe I _should have stretched you out first..."_

     "Stop it! Godammit, this hurts!" Naruto choked, knowing and hating the facts that his screaming was falling on deaf ears and that his body relished the attention. "Teiryuu!!" More blood and burning acid spilled into his throat. "SHIT, SHINZUKO NO BAKA!!!!"

     Shinzuko chuckled sharply and sped up, just to hear Naruto scream.

_     Somebody get me out of this fucking place!! _An especially painful jab rippled through him. _Kakashi-sensei or Sakura...Sasuke,__ even!! His eyes flew open as he remembered one other shinobi. _K-Kyote!!!__

     An open hand met his tear-stained face with an echoing smack. Naruto winced, unable to stop himself from coughing up blood. He could barely catch what scant breath he had.

     "I want to hear you moan, Naruto," Shinzuko ordered. "Louder!"

     Naruto gripped the sheets on either side of him and squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to scream as Shinzuko shoved in harder. The teenager encased Naruto's lips in yet another passionate kiss, sucking the blood from his bruised mouth as he reached his climax. With a shudder, he came, and Naruto screamed in agony into the older shinobi's mouth.

     "Perhaps...you will remember this night the next time you _think_ of doing anything to my brother," Shinzuko rasped in Naruto's ear, obviously exhausted. He snapped his fingers and cupped his hands. A single flame appeared above them. "And if you tell anyone about this, bastard, _you are dead. I __will kill you with my bare hands. I was an assassin, and I've done so before. Understand?"_

     _Perfectly.__ Naruto nodded, gasping for breath and not meeting Shinzuko's eyes. He was too humiliated to look up. Even though the whole of Konohagakure despised him, Naruto had never felt so violated in his life. _I just want to die...to make this misery end...__

     Shinzuko smirked. _Perfect. _He blew out the flame. "Afraid of a little fire, ne, Naruto?" the teenager purred. Naruto was too scared to reply. After kissing the boy hard once more, he drew Naruto into a loose embrace and sank onto his pillow.

     The teenager swiftly fell asleep.

     The room was menacingly quiet.

     After the boy was sure that Shinzuko was asleep, Naruto crept from the bed and snatched up his clothes. He could barely stand as he hurriedly got dressed. His hands were shaking, and it took several tries before he could pull on his torn jacket.

     With an anguished curse, the boy sneaked towards the window. He tried opening it. _Please...please__ be unlocked._

     It didn't open.

     _Kami! Open!! The glass wouldn't budge. __Shit! He threw his remaining energy into the push._ Godammit all! Open the _hell _up!!__

     The window silently slid open.

     Naruto doubled over and gagged on yet another gush of blood, waiting for his breathing to slow. _Damn! I'm tired from just opening a window! What the hell's happening to me?!_

_     Why did I let him _do _that?! I can fight...I should've known better than that..._

     Still shaking from what had just happened, the young shinobi climbed out, closing the window behind him. _Kami..._

_     He's going to kill me. If I tell someone about this, he'll kill me! _Naruto winced as a stinging pang tore through his chest. _I just _know it!

_     What am I going to do now?!! Listen to him and suffer more?!!_

_     Or am I going to ignore what he says and...and die...?!_

_     God..._

     The bushes behind him suddenly rustled. There was an ominous footstep.

     "Naruto."

     Naruto spun, flinching at the pain that was stirred up. "K-Kyote-?" he rasped, his voice still raw from screaming.

     The black haired shinobi appeared, a hand on his sheathed sword. "I know what happened, Naruto. I saw it coming ever since we met." His voice was flat and emotionless. "I'm sorry."

     The blond haired boy tightened his fists, his nails digging into his palms and sending twinges of pain up his arms. "You knew."

     Kyote scowled. "Yes."

     "And you didn't do anything."

     "You wouldn't let me." The black haired jounin sounded accusing.

     "You _dick!"_ Naruto shouted suddenly, his throat painfully strained. "You _knew! You saw _everything,_ but you didn't even _try_ to stop him!"_

     "There was nothing I could do, Naruto. Shinzuko's much stronger than me!" Kyote retorted.

     "What the fuck do you mean, 'there was nothing you could do'?!" Naruto hissed. "The _least_ you could have done was _try__!"_

     "I am sorry, Naruto," Kyote said levelly. "But if I did that, he'd kill me."

     The blond haired shinobi stepped forward, his face darkening with rage. Before Kyote could react, the boy raised his fist, punching the teenager down with one blow.

     "I thought you were different, Kyote. Different from those bastards in Konohagakure," Naruto muttered ignoring the ache that clung to his body. "I thought you loved me, and that I could trust you. But _no.__ You're just the same as all the rest! You think I'm still that damn...damn _kitsune!_ Just like everyone else!"_

     Kyote scrambled to his feet, rubbing his stinging cheek. His mouth was bleeding. "You don't understand, Naruto," he muttered angrily. "If I-"

     _"Shut up!" Tears sprang to the boy's eyes. "Just shut the hell up!" He hung his blond head, shaking uncontrollably. The tears trickled down his face._

     _I shouldn't have said that. Kyote bit his lip._ I don't want to see you cry, Naru-kun._ The teenager touched the younger shinobi gently. "Naruto-"___

     "Kuso!" Naruto screamed. "Leave me alone, yaro!" Without another word, he spun out of Kyote's grasp and dashed off as fast as he could go.

     _Kami... Kyote scowled. __Yaro...bastard... He gripped the handle of his sword._

     _You don't understand, Naruto. If I tried to stop him, he'd kill _me...and there'd be nothing to hold him back from doing his worst...to _you._

     The black haired teenager slowly walked back to his room. He shivered involuntarily as a wolf somewhere in the distance howled at the moon.

     And somewhere else, a fox awoke.


	11. The Torunament: Finals

Sorry for not updating sooner. I still love Naruto, but I've lost interest in this fic. I will finish it, though. I've come too far to quit in my opinion. ^_^

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     In his room, Naruto locked the door and threw himself onto his bed. He was still crying, the tears streaming down his face to choke him and soak his pillow.

_     Shit..._why _am I crying like this?! I _never _used to cry!! I never used to feel sorry for myself!! _the boy screamed at himself. _Why the hell am I shedding tears like a _two-_year-old?! Like a kid who's lost his damn favorite _toy!

_     But you _did _lose something, _another part of his mind told him. _You've lost your purity, and—_

_     Crap! I _know _that!_

_     Then why do you wonder why you cry?_

     Naruto untied his hitai-ate with shaking hands, the hot tears blinding his already-distorted vision.

_     You're mad at Ryuuchi Kyote, ne?_

     Naruto clenched his fists. He hadn't meant to punch or yell at Kyote; he really hadn't. But the fact that the teenager _knew _and did _nothing _enraged him. Naruto remembered seeing red, and—wham!—the next thing he knew, Kyote was on the ground with a bloody mouth._ No. I'm mad at _myself_ for punching him._ The blond haired boy buried his face in his pillow, his sobs almost suffocating him. _God...Kyote'll _never _forgive me..._ He tasted blood in his mouth for the umpteenth time. _Never..._

     Naruto wiped his mouth with a hand, wincing at how much blood had rubbed off onto his palm. _Shit. What if I'm too_ weak _to compete in the final tournament tomorrow?!_

     He suddenly felt dizzy and sick. _Don't think about it..._

     Squeezing his cerulean eyes shut, Naruto slowly fell into a disturbed sleep. He had forgotten that the demon fox was still watching him.

     Watching and waiting for the opportune moment.

****

     "Naruto? Oy, Naruto, wake up!"

     "H-huh...?" The blond genin groggily opened his eyes, instantly scowling before he was fully awake. "What the hell are you doing in my room, Sasuke?"

     "Kakashi-sensei wanted me to find out why you weren't up yet." Sasuke went to the window and looked out. "You coming?"

     "Yeah, yeah." Naruto rolled into a sitting position, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Noticing the Uchiha boy's gaze in his direction, Naruto lashed out irritably. "What?" he hissed.

     Sasuke came to stand before the shorter genin, his hands going to the torn orange jacket. "What happened to _you?"_

     Naruto suddenly realized that he'd forgotten to change into his pajamas last night. He also realized that his clothes were still stained with blood and tears, as was his face.

     "N-nothing happened!" the blond haired boy snapped. "I was just out late training by myself, that's all!" He jerked away from Sasuke's touch. "Get out of here and let me change, bakayaro!"

     "All right, all right, I'm going. Touchy, aren't you." Watching Naruto quizzically, Sasuke backed out of the room.

****

     "Ohayo, Naruto," Natsuko, the Ryuuchi twins' mother, greeted him as he entered the kitchen. "Ready for the final round of the tournament today?"

     Naruto nodded absently. "Ohayo." He took his place at the table and mechanically began to eat, barely tasting the food he swallowed. He ignored Sasuke's, Hikaru's, and Sakura's questioning gazes and avoided Kyote's empathetic glances, keeping his eyes fixed on the tabletop. Kakashi seemed too caught up in his _Make Out Paradise _to care, but Shinzuko was watching Naruto triumphantly.

     The door at the end of the room suddenly opened, admitting a girl who looked to be about twelve years old. Kyote looked up in relief.

     "Takara!" he exclaimed. "When did _you _get back?"

     "Just now. Good morning, Kaasama, Hikaru, Shinzuko." Takara joined the others at the table. "Good morning, Team Seven."

     The others greeted her accordingly.

     Naruto glanced at the girl and his eyes widened. Takara strongly resembled Sakura, except for the fact that she had bluish hair and black eyes, and looked to be more of a tomboy. She wore a gray vest over a dark blue long-sleeved shirt, black pants, black sports gloves, armbands (Sasuke style), and had a pair of shuko dangling from her belt. The girl's headband was tied around her left bicep.

     If Naruto had been in his right mind, he would have immediately thought of her as hot. As it was, he was too preoccupied with self-pity to care. He barely heard Takara explain the reason for her absence; she had been in training with the Hawk Family for quite some time.

     The meal continued, with the others occasionally remarking on the strategies they'd employ against the Wolf Family cell later that day. Through it all, Naruto said not a word.

     He was hugely relieved when he could finally leave, and spent most of the morning working on several chakra drills Kyote had taught him.

****

     "For the final round," the referee was saying, "there will be three tests. One person from each team will participate, but no one is allowed to participate either twice or not at all. The first test is of speed, the second is of marksmanship, and the third is of chakra endurance."

     "Déjà vu," Kyote muttered. "We did something like this back at Konohagakure."

     Sakura nodded. "So who's doing what? This could be a problem deciding..."

     But it was Kakashi's turn to decide. "Sasuke is the fastest, Sakura the most accurate, and Naruto the most resilient. Problem solved."

     Stunned at his quick thinking, Team Seven just stared at the white haired jounin as he looked out over the sparring field. Shinzuko smirked. Kyote sighed.

     "If both teams are ready, the speed test can begin!" The referee glanced in Team Seven's direction.

     Sasuke got to his feet and walked forward.

     "Good luck, Sasuke!" Sakura couldn't resist calling after him.

     Naruto crossed his arms and sat back to watch.

     "Begin!" the referee shouted. And begin they did.

     Sasuke's opponent was small but wiry, and every bit as fast as the Uchiha boy. Even with two knife shuriken deftly blocking and striking, the black haired boy was hard put to keep up.

     "You can do it, Sasuke!" Sakura called.

     Naruto sank lower onto the grass. It suddenly occurred to him that this was the first time during the tournament that Sakura had actually yelled encouragement to Sasuke.

_     Ordinarily, she would have screamed herself hoarse, _he noted. _I wonder what's up?_

     A collective gasp, and then a concerted exhalation came from the watching crowd. Sitting bolt upright, Naruto glanced at Sakura.

     "What'd I miss?"

     The rose haired girl smirked. "The short kid lost. Sasuke won."

     "Ah."

     The referee's voice rang out. "The winner, Uchiha Sasuke of Konoha Village!"

     "Way to go, Sasuke!"

     Ignoring Sakura's shouts, Naruto crossed his legs, irked that he hadn't been watching. Sakura rose to take her place in the marksmanship competition.

     Two targets had been set up on the field. Sakura and her opponent, a tall boy of a sullen disposition, stood two meters before them. Each took turns, alternately throwing star shuriken and knife ones toward the targets. Naruto watched with pure interest. They were both evenly matched.

     The tall boy sent a blade spinning for the bull's-eye. So did Sakura. It soon became apparent that they were too close to the target, so the referee moved them a meter back. Still, there was no change in the score. Naruto was getting bored.

     "They call this a _competition?"_ he muttered.

     "Be quiet, Naruto," Sasuke retorted.

     Making a face in the Uchiha boy's direction, Naruto turned back to the field. Sakura was just about to loose a star shuriken from her finger when the blond haired boy noted that her finger jerked abruptly. The girl loosed the shuriken too soon...and it hit the target far from the bull's-eye.

     "No!" the Uzumaki boy cried, jumping to his feet.

     Sakura stared in shock for a moment and almost burst into tears. But remembering that Sasuke was watching, she quickly composed herself and rejoined her team. "Sorry, guys."

     "You did well," Kakashi told her, his voice genuinely proud. Sakura blushed crimson.

     It was Naruto's turn for the endurance test. Ordinarily, he would have been bursting with chakra, overeager to get on the field. But this time, he went reluctantly. His mind was still on Kyote and Shinzuko, as much as he hated to admit.

     He was slightly surprised when he saw that he faced a girl for the test. _Kami-sama..._he thought as the referee told the rules. _If I lose...___

     "Begin!" the referee interrupted. The watching crowd instantly went silent.

     Naruto knew what he had to do. Planting his feet firmly on the ground, he concentrated all his chakra into them, and the girl did the same. Both flew up into the sky...but Naruto had done so first.

     "Team Seven wins test one!" the referee called.

     After the two had landed on the ground, the second test began.

     "Both contestants must make the signs for a defensive spell. Any thing can be used, except for the seven techniques of the Ryuuchi clan!"

_     Tiger! Ox! _Naruto's fingers moved almost clumsily as he made the signs for one of the techniques Kyote had taught him. With a blinding flash and loud explosion, the blond haired boy was momentarily surrounded by a glowing shield, which vanished as soon as he stopped concentrating on it.

     "Deflection," Kyote noted with admiration in his voice. "He learned that one faster than I thought."

     The girl did a similar technique—except it was both an attack and a defensive maneuver. Naruto scowled in frustration as the third test was announced.

     "Each contestant must sign and correctly execute one of the seven signature moves of the Ryuuchi clan's families. Venom of the Cobra, Shield of the Ox, Stealth of the Wolf, Deluge of the Dolphin, Wings of the Hawk, Claws of the Tiger, and Chains of the Dragon."

     "This...could be a problem, Kakashi muttered to himself.

     "Go!" the referee was shouting.

     Naruto knew what technique he wanted to do—Wings of the Hawk. He shut his eyes and concentrated all his chakra into his arms. Bringing his hands before his face, he made double signs of the Hawk. An incredible rush of power rushed through him, he felt himself grow lighter, and he knew he was going to fly.

     Only for a moment, unfortunately.

_     Naruto._

     The boy's eyes jerked open for a second, and he forced them closed. _Not now! _he growled. _Leave me alone, fox!_

_     Remember when you said that, if I gave you the energy for you to beat Nonaka and to keep him from getting Sasuke, then you'd set me free?_

     His concentration broken, Naruto felt helpless as he remembered.

~Flashback~

     "Sasuke!" Weak from using most of his chakra, Naruto could barely raise his head, but when he saw the trouble his teammate was in, an unusual power surged through him. And a familiar voice spoke in his ear.

_     Do you need any help, Naruto?_

     Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The blond haired genin scowled. _Go away,_ he mentally replied, obviously not in the mood to argue with the demon fox.

_     But you want to help your friend Sasuke, do you not?_

_     I'm busy now...could you bother me later? _Under any other circumstances, Naruto would have laughed as he thought this. _And he's _not_ my friend!_

     Ally,_ then. Perfect!_ Naruto could almost _see _the fox's grin. _I'll make a deal with you. I'll lend you some of my power to beat Nonaka if you promise to release me later._

     Naruto had already deflected Nonaka's shuriken with his own and was already on his feet, running to head the Cobra boy off before he reached Sasuke. He could feel his heart thrashing in his chest like a wild animal. _Whatever you say,_ he muttered, too distracted to realize what he was saying as he and Nonaka clashed. _Just give me enough power to stop these guys so Sasuke can finish his technique!_

_     As you wish!_

     An abrupt rush of chakra to Naruto's body nearly threw him off his feet. "Sugoi!" With renewed energy, the young genin easily beat of each of Nonaka's attacks, laughing maniacally at the feel of his newfound chakra.

~End Flashback~

     He tried to focus, to restore the technique, but the demon fox was laughing in his head. Naruto began making the signs, but to no avail. All his chakra dispersed from his arms, and he dropped to his hands and knees, gasping for breath. Naruto had never known any technique to waste his energy as this one just had...and he hadn't even started it yet.

_     I can't do this..._

     "The winner is—"

     Naruto didn't wait for the referee to announce that the girl had won. He was up and running before anyone could think to stop him.

     Running and crying just as he had been last night.

     Kyote gave a gloating Shinzuko a contemptuous glance before going after his friend. The others were in a state of utter shock.

     Overhead, the sun was rising to noon.


	12. Crimson Flow

_Sorry it's taken me so long. I'm terribly lazy (and occupied with other writings, hee hee). Please pardon this crappy excuse for an update. _

**_Chapter 11_**

**_Crimson Flow_**

"Naruto!" Master Iruka shouted for the thousandth time.

"Where is he?" Kyote hissed, his dark eyes scanning the green landscape.

Iruka scowled suddenly, glancing at the younger shinobi. "Why'd he run off, anyway?"

"Because of what happened at the tournament," Kyote replied shortly.

"Naruto's recovered from worse than that," the chunin told him. "Are you sure there wasn't anything else that happened there?"

"Yes," the teenager lied. But he knew full well _why. _Cupping his hands around his mouth, Kyote bellowed, "Uzumaki Naruto! Where _are_ you?"

There was no reply. The shinobi exchanged questioning glances.

"Let's split up," Iruka said finally. "Call me if you find him."

"You got it!" With little sound, the two shinobi parted ways, leaping in opposite directions.

* * *

Naruto drew a knife from his shuriken holster. He held the shuriken in sweating, shaking hands, taking a moment to steady his breathing. The boy was sitting against a tree and he leaned back, closing his eyes tightly. 

_Maybe this is wrong,_ he was thinking. _What if I just let the fox take ove_r_...and let him take my revenge on the village?_ Cerulean eyes narrowed as he pressed the blade against a wrist. _No. I'd rather die and let the fox spirit go to hell..._

_Maybe then someone would miss me. _The boy thought of Kyote and clenched his teeth.

He held the knife firmly, dragging it across his wrist. Blood appeared in little streaks at first, but quickly increased to a thick stream. Naruto did it again and again, his anger growing with each new slash. The red liquid gushed over his hands, staining his clothes badly. Tears sprang to the boy's eyes at the fierce pain that welled up¡ªthe pain he was almost too enraged to feel. Yet the burning torment was small compared to the sudden relief he felt.

_It's finally going to be over, _Naruto told himself as he did the same for his other wrist, tearing through the tender veins He suddenly felt dizzy and a little sick with the knowledge that so much blood was spilling from _him._

_Crap._ On a wild impulse, the boy jumped to his feet. He threw knife after knife, striking the trunk of the nearest tree until it bristled with shuriken.

Then he ran out of blades.

With a shout of anger, Naruto moved like a madman, picking up rocks, grass, leaves, anything on hand...and throwing it at the tree. He thought of what Shinzuko had done, what the other villagers had done, what his own teammates had done, and he wanted to burst. Sweat poured from a thousand openings as he wasted the last of his strength.

Then his legs gave out and he toppled to his hands and knees on the grass. Blood flooded from his wrists, drenching the ground in red. It was almost too much for Naruto. When he realized what he had done to himself and that he was about to die, a horrible panic seized him and he screamed.

* * *

Short of breath, Iruka forced himself to stop running, although worry for Naruto nearly compelled him to keep on. The black haired man tipped his head to one side, listening for any unusual sounds. All he heard were the birds and an occasional cricket. 

_Cricket? _It must have been getting late. And very quiet.

A sudden scream splintered the evening calm. Iruka almost jumped out of his skin at the whimper that followed. The voice sounded very familiar and very near.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" he yelled. The only response was the chunin's own voice, returning in echo. Turning slowly, Iruka caught sight of orange by a tree. "Ne?" Running to investigate, he found Naruto slumped against the trunk.

"Naruto!" Iruka exclaimed, pulling the boy towards him. "Are...you all right?"

The young shinobi opened his eyes with a faint moan. "M-Master Iruka?" he gasped.

"Yes, Naruto." Iruka nodded gravely. His face darkened. "Why'd you run off? A-and I heard screaming. Are you all right?" he repeated.

"I-I..." Suddenly, Naruto burst into tears. He threw himself against the elder ninja. "Why?" he sobbed. "Why the hell did you come, Iruka-sensei? Y-you should've let me die and rest in peace...just like them in Konohagakure..."

Iruka was momentarily stunned. It wasn't like prankster Uzumaki Naruto to cry. But then again, Naruto hadn't been his usual jocular self since returning from the tournament last week...

The black haired shinobi held the boy at arm's length. "What is it, Naruto? What's¡ªwhat's..._wrong?"_

The boy only sobbed harder, shaking his head.

"Tell me what's been bothering you, Naruto," Iruka said levelly. "Because if you don't¡ª" He suddenly broke off. _"Naruto!"___

The boy's hands and jacket were soaking with his blood, which was streaming from the gashes in his wrists Iruka cursed himself over and over for not noticing this earlier. He met the younger one's swollen, tear-filled eyes and immediately felt the younger one's sorrow and pain; something that Naruto had kept well-hidden for the greater part of his life.

_He tried to kill himself._

Iruka was still in disbelief.

"What did you do...?"

Naruto finally spoke, his words coming in shuddering gasps. He weakly motioned to towards the bloody knife on the ground. "I-I'm...sorry, Iruka-sensei. I-I didn't mean...to do it...b-but I was scared and mad and-and the knife was just _there..._and so I-I..." His voice dissolved into sobs and he doubled over, coughing harshly.

Iruka grit his teeth, feeling an atypical urge to cry himself. The way Naruto was acting¡ªwhat he did¡ªit reminded him of his own turbulent childhood..._too much._ "Naruto..."

"Don't say anything...please..." the blond haired boy pleaded.

With great difficulty, Iruka controlled his galloping emotions and raised his voice. "Kyote!" he shouted. "Kyote, I've found him!"

"N-no...Naruto managed through clenched teeth, gripping the crimson tear in his chest. "Don't call Kyote...please!"

But it was too late. There was a sharp rustle in the treetops above, and the young jounin landed expertly before them.

"Kami!" he gasped. "What did...what _happened?!"_

Naruto's fingers closed around the knife. "I tried to kill myself, that's _what,"_ he panted huskily, staggering to his feet.

Kyote stepped forward, grabbing for the knife. "Give me that," he growled, his hands seizing the double blade. Naruto pulled the shuriken back, cutting the teenager's palms and adding Kyote's blood to Naruto's. Then, without thinking, Kyote reached out, gripping Naruto's wrists painfully tight.

"Listen, Naruto," he hissed. "You can't keep going on like this. You're going to bleed to death if you don't let us help you." There was a pause, in which Kyote swallowed back tears. "You know I don't want you to die...Naru-kun."

The blond haired boy's skin had faded to a sickly shade of white. His vision was clouding over, and it took several tries to force up the words stuck in his throat.

"If I...if I died..." he rasped in agony. "I wouldn't bother you anymore. I'd make you...sorry you ever knew me. I'd get what I deserve...wouldn't I?" Kyote couldn't reply. "That would make you and the rest of those Konohagakure bastards happy..." Weak from blood loss and pain, Naruto collapsed to his knees. "Y-you'd finally be happy." The boy's eyes rolled back into his head and he would have fallen if Kyote hadn't caught hi,. The bloody shuriken fell from unfeeling hands.

Iruka finally spoke after a long moment of silence. "Let's get him home," he whispered. Kyote nodded, pulling the unconscious Naruto into his arms. The teenager couldn't look into the boy's face.

_You were right, Naruto. This _is_ my fault._

* * *

Naruto awakened as soon as water spilled over his face. He jerked upright, choking and coughing but flinched at the uncomfortable tightness and pain around his torso. Glancing down, the boy realized that his chest had been bandaged. He touched the cloth lightly with a hand, still feeling dizzy and confused. His jacket and shirt were gone. 

"Sorry," Kyote said softly. He was holding a cup half-filled with water.

"What was that for?" Naruto tensed as he glanced up. "Wh-what're _you_ doing in my house?" he whispered.

"Don't you remember?" Iruka asked.

Before the blond haired boy could reply, the door to his room opened and in walked Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, and Shinzuko. Kyote scowled as he saw his twin brother.

_This is all your fault..._ he thought, enraged at what he _knew _Shinzuko had done.

"So you're awake, Naruto," Kakashi said when no one else spoke. "Feeling any better?"

"Some," Naruto replied hoarsely. He sank back in bed, his pale face screwed up with pain.

"Why'd you do that?" Kyote demanded with little hesitation. "Why the hell did you try killing yourself? When I first met you, I didn't think you were the type to feel sorry for yourself and want to die. Guess I was wrong."

"Kyote...!" Sakura pleaded.

The young jounin was clearly angry, but when Naruto met his eyes, he was surprised to see tears.

"Tell me why, Naruto." The teenager's voice was no less biting.

Tears rimmed Naruto's eyes. The boy stared at his hands, twisting and untwisting the bedsheets. "I-it..." He swallowed and tried again, fully aware that the others were listening closely.

"Well?" Shinzuko's voice held a mocking tone. "Why'd you do it?"

"Because of _you!"_ the blond haired boy blurted suddenly, sitting upright as tears streamed down his face. "Because of _all_ of you! Everyone I know...even those who are nice to me...they all _hate_ me! Especially all of you here! Even though it was twelve years ago, you still fucking blame _me_ for the demon fox's attack!" He was about to say more, but his voice gave out and he fell back against the pillows, coughing for breath..

Sakura stepped forward. "Naruto¡ª"

"Leave me alone," Naruto rasped. He drew his sheets up around him, burying his head in the pillows where he shed a few angry tears. "It would have been better...if none of you cared." The blond haired boy would say nothing more.

Iruka sighed and turned to the others. "Let's go," he said.

And so they quietly left.

* * *

In the Ryuuchi twins' apartment, tempers were rising. 

"This is your damned fault, Shinzuko," Kyote muttered as he untied his headband.

The elder twin arched a perfect black eyebrow. "Care to explain, my dear brother?"

Kyote began unbuckling his shirt. "This isn't funny! That _boy_ in there...who is _supposed_ to be your student just tried to _kill_ himself because...because you _raped_ him!"

"And just _what_ makes you think I care?" Shinzuko's emerald eyes darkened.

"You're a jounin!" Kyote hissed. "We both are! We're supposed to teach and protect our students, not molest them!"

Shinzuko grabbed the front of his twin's shirt. "Say that one more time," he growled in his low, harsh voice. Kyote couldn't speak; his brother was dangerous when he was in his moods. "Say it!"

Kyote lowered his head and didn't reply.

He came back to Naruto's house the next day, feeling guilty for being so harsh with the one who _had_ been his friend. But before he entered, the teenager pounded a fist into the wall, letting a single tear slip from one eye. He was still frustrated that Shinzuko still saw Naruto as their nemesis rather as a friend.

_To tell the truth, Shinzuko poses more of a threat to Naruto than Naruto does to Shinzuko._

Taking a deep breath, Kyote opened the door. Once in the room, he closed the door softly behind him. Naruto looked asleep, but his eyes snapped open at the sound of the teenager's footsteps.

"Naruto..." Kyote clenched his fists to harden his nerves. "I know you're really mad at me...but _please_ listen."

The blond haired boy slowly moved into a sitting position. "I'm tired, Kyote," he said coldly. "Leave me alone."

"But¨D" The opening door interrupted the brewing argument. In walked Master Iruka, who froze when he saw Kyote.

"I've interrupted something," he said quickly, noting the expressions on the boys' faces. "I'll come back later." Sensing that there was more between the two boys than that of which he was aware, Iruka quietly retreated, knowing that whatever conflict the young shinobi had between them was to be resolved between them alone.

"You've been crying," Naruto noted blandly. "I heard you." There was an oddly triumphant tone in his hoarse voice.

Kyote scowled. "You have been, too," he shot back.

Suddenly, the younger boy sniffed. He looked away. Neither boy spoke for some time. "Why were you crying? A-and did you tell anyone about¡ª"

"No." Kyote met Naruto's eyes. "I couldn't. What Shinzuko did to you...that happened to me when I was younger, you know. I didn't want to subject you to anymore humiliation than...you know."

Naruto reached out and squeezed Kyote's hand. "Domo," he rasped awkwardly.

The black haired teenager grinned. "And I cried because you scared the hell out of me," he added, gently squeezing back. Bending over, he lightly kissed Naruto on the lips. "D¨¦j¨ vu, Naru-kun?" he said gently as he pulled away.

Naruto reddened. Admittedly, he enjoyed the shock that ran through him from Kyote's gently kisses but he wasn't about to tell the teenager that. "Yeah," he replied softly.

Kyote smiled again. Sitting on the boy's bed, he kissed Naruto again. This time the younger one opened his mouth, kissing back awkwardly.

The kiss lasted long, but since both boys were tired, they didn't go any further. Kyote didn't mind. Glancing down at the blond haired shinobi who had somehow fallen asleep on his chest as the two lay on Naruto's bed, Kyote reflected that it would do well to be _patient._


	13. Thrills

Warnings: HEAVY yaoi / shounen ai

Kani: Whew! Thought I'd never finish this dratted thing...but it's done now. Yes, I'm ending this fic because I'm tired of writing it. :P

Chapter 12

Thrills

Ryuuchi Kyote glanced down lovingly at the blond haired boy who lay asleep on his chest. He smiled to himself and hugged Naruto closer. His smile faded as he remembered Shinzuko. Kyote grit his teeth.

_Shinzuko can _try_, but he _knows_ that I'm _never_ going to let him take Naruto again! _Then sighing, the teenager closed his eyes.

The black haired shinobi sometimes wished that his father was still alive since the twins' stepfather rarely payed them any attention. Ryuuchi Shiretsu had been the one who'd taught Kyote the stealth techniques he used so well. He had given the twins advanced training, in addition to their already accelerated work at shinobi school. Kyote shivered suddenly. After he'd returned from battling the nine-tailed fox, Shiretsu had also been the one who had abused him in many ways. Shinzuko had done his best to protect, Kyote, but had become bitter and cold in the process. Which was why Kyote figured Shinzuko wanted to kill Naruto—to get revenge on the demon fox for making their father as crazy as he was.

Kyote shut his eyes as Naruto moved sleepily above him. A hand suddenly brushed his forehead, and he reopened his eyes to find Naruto grinning back at him.

"What's wrong?" the light haired boy asked. "You...look like you just had a nightmare."

"I'm okay."

Naruto rolled off the older shinobi, who stretched and sat up. "What time is it?" Naruto asked.

Kyote snickered. "It's late." There was a deep silence. He drew the boy into his arms and Naruto nestled in his warmth. "You've changed a lot, Naru-kun. For the better, I should add."

Naruto grinned, running a hand across the buckles that Kyote had on his shirt. "So you're saying that I'm closer to being Lord Hokage now more than ever?"

"Definitely."

Together, Kyote and Naruto unbuckled the jounin's shirt. Kyote then unzipped Naruto's orange jacket and pulled off his black shirt. When they were both stripped to the waist, Naruto straddled the elder boy and got to work undoing Kyote's pants "Didn't you sleep, Kyote-kun? You look tired."

Kyote shook his head, keeping his eyes shut.

"What kept you up?" Naruto inquired.

"Not much," the teenager replied shortly. "Just remembering...something from when I was little."

"Hm..." Naruto bent low, catching Kyote's mouth with his own, shuddering as Kyote's hands ran through his hair and moved to pull off his pants. He broke away as his pants came off. He looked somewhat confused. "Are you still mad at me?"

The teenager smiled softly. "Did I ever say I was?"

"N-no...but..."

"Shh." Kyote stopped his words with another kiss. This time, Naruto kissed back.

"Where'd you learn to kiss like that?" the blond haired boy asked as the two separated.

Kyote snickered. "Tell you that later." He lay back on the boy's bed and Naruto slipped beside him. Unexpectedly, Naruto kissed him again.

"You taste good," he said softly, pulling off Kyote's pants.

"So do you."

They were just in the boxers. Kyote flipped Naruto onto his back and began sucking on each of his already-hard nipples. Naruto let out a ragged breath and dug his hands in Kyote's hair. He felt himself hardening fast.

"More..." he whispered.

The older boy continued licking his love's nipples as his hands moved lower, fumbling blindly until they found Naruto's waistband and tugged his boxers down to his knees. The younger boy groaned as his erection stood exposed, and he quivered with apprehension as the older shinobi slid lower and lower.

"Hn," Kyote noted. "You're uncircumcised." He toyed with the foreskin for a brief moment.

"Aah..." Naruto gasped, gritting his teeth as Kyote's mouth engulfed his head, and then his entire shaft. His breathing became more ragged and uneven as the lovely thrills passed through him. He slowly began to move his hips up and down, in rhythm with Kyote's sucking. The boy stiffened and cried out in pleasure as Kyote suddenly took his throbbing member all the way in and began deep-throating his love. Seconds stretched to minutes while Kyote expertly sucked more vigorously and rubbed his own erection against the mattress. He opened his mouth to moan as he drew close to cumming onto the bed...and got a mouthful of release as Naruto orgasmed.

"K-koi..." the blond-haired boy panted. "That...was..."

Kyote spat the seed on the floor — despite having given many blowjobs in the recent past, he hated the taste of all semen — and fell back on the bed. "Your turn, Naru-kun."

Following Kyote's lead, Naruto licked and nibbled the older boy's nipples gently. Moments later, he was hesitantly running his tongue over Kyote's erection.

"Y-you can suck it..." Kyote panted, his voice almost obliterated by the power of Naruto's delicate tongue.

"'Kay..." The younger boy took a deep breath to calm himself, and took the head into his mouth.

"Gah!" Kyote exclaimed, his eyes shooting open as Naruto got to work. He hadn't been sucked in what seemed like ages, and this felt better than he'd remembered. He shut his eyes again, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

Naruto pushed as much of his love's cock into his mouth as he could take without choking. He did his best to be gentle; he didn't want to hurt Kyote. He rubbed his koi's foreskin over the stretch of arousal he couldn't reach. Kyote's hips began jerking, erratically at first, but more smoothly as the two reached a suitable pace. Kyote was moaning louder and louder, and suddenly, he arched his back, pressing his cock down Naruto's throat.

Naruto gagged and pulled away in alarm. He was beginning to feel guilty. What was he doing here? Why _was_ he in a room having sex with an older boy...?

"Oh!" Sitting up, Kyote threw his arms around the younger boy. "I'm sorry, Naru-kun...I just got carried away."

Naruto was close to tears. "I-I don't want...I don't want to do this, Kyote." He tried to shift away, but the jounin held him close.

"Really," Kyote murmured. Naruto nodded. "Naruto, listen. It was the same for me the first few times when I had to suck off my dad or my brother. I just wasn't used to it. It'll get better, Naru-kun." He nipped the light-haired boy gently on his ear and ran a finger over the boy's erection, making him quiver. "Come on, you were doing pretty well there."

"I don't like it!" Naruto ducked out of the close embrace. He felt slightly sick. "Let me go, please?"

When faced with those wide, blue eyes, Kyote relented. Sighing deeply, he muttered, "All right. B-but if you ever want to continue...I'll be in touch."

A few nights later, the boys were together again in Naruto's room in exactly the same position as before. Naruto was salivating profusely and sucking Kyote as hard as he could, his left hand massaging the older boy's balls, his right hand pumping the foreskin vigorously. Kyote had his eyes closed and his hands in Naruto's hair. He was grunting, and his hips bucking, but he did his best not to jerk too hard.

"That's...it, N-Naru...kun..." the jounin gasped. "Per...fect...ah...oh..." He winced. "GAAHH!"

With a jolt, his crotch came completely off the bed. His cock spasmed several times as he came to orgasm. Naruto tried to pull away, but Kyote's hands pressed his head firmly over his erection, and he was forced to swallow the cum.

"Whew..." Kyote opened his eyes and went limp. "Th-that was the best...ever."

Naruto sat up, grinning. "Thanks."

"I'm glad you decided to come back."

"So am I. It was just that I woke up and my crotch was killing me and nothing I did could change it." Naruto looked slyly at his koi's softening member. "I haven't cum yet...can I enter you, Kyo-kun?"

Kyote smirked. "Go ahead. You should fit."

"All right..." Carefully, Naruto lowered his body and slowly pressed his erection into Kyote's tight entrance. He stopped, breathless. He'd never felt this hot before, and Kyote's tightness was definitely making his cock want to explode.

"Go on." Kyote could barely keep his voice steady.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

The older boy snorted. "You're not supposed to care about that. Keep going."

Blushing, Naruto did as he was told. He thrust slowly at first, because he was worried he might hurt his koi, but concern soon gave way to lust. He started shoving in and out faster and faster until his balls were slapping Kyote's entrance with each thrust. Kyote himself was in pain, as usual, but he was used to it. He was moaning again, arching his hips to meet each deep thrust. The agonized pleasure went on for what seemed like hours before Naruto hit the spot that made them both tense and yell. With Kyote tight around him, Naruto came, pouring his essence deep into the older boy. After a few pained moments, Kyote came all over his stomach.

A few moments passed, and then Naruto pulled out and collapsed beside Kyote. Both boys were sweating and gasping for air.

"That was...awesome..." Naruto whispered.

"Yeah." Kyote was smiling. He slowly sat up. "Let's take a shower."

After a _very_ long shower, in which each pleasured the other many times, the boys pulled on pajamas and collapsed in Naruto's bed.

"I love you, Kyote," Naruto whispered sincerely as he drifted off.

"I do too," Kyote replied softly. He glanced at the boy sleeping beside him and grinned. A while later, he also fell asleep

It was too bad that their moment of peace and quiet couldn't last forever.

END ()


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